It's all in your head: sinus node dysfunction secondary to a sphenoid wing meningioma.

BACKGROUND: A 57-year-old man presented with recurrent episodes of dizziness, weakness of legs, and presyncope. The electrocardiogram showed a sinus bradycardia and recurrent sinus pauses. RESULTS: Cardiac evaluation revealed a normal left ventricular ejection fraction without ischemic, structural, or valvular heart disease. Pronounced limb weakness prompted neurological consultation. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging showed a large right-sided intracranial tumor adjacent to the medial sphenoid wing. Surgical removal of the tumor was accomplished successfully after application of a transient cardiac pacemaker, while decision upon permanent pacemaker implantation was postponed. Histopathology provided evidence of a meningothelial meningioma. Postoperative assessment displayed the absence of sinus node dysfunction after tumor removal. CONCLUSION: Careful differential diagnostic assessment of patients with symptomatic bradycardias needs to rule out reversible causes before implantation of permanent devices.

Constrictive Pericarditis in the Presence of Remaining Remnants of a Left Ventricular Assist Device in a Heart Transplanted Patient.

Constrictive pericarditis (CP) is a severe subform of pericarditis with various causes and clinical findings. Here, we present the unique case of CP in the presence of remaining remnants of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) in a heart transplanted patient. A 63-year-old man presented at the Heidelberg Heart Center outpatient clinic with progressive dyspnea, fatigue, and loss of physical capacity. Heart transplantation (HTX) was performed at another heart center four years ago and postoperative clinical course was unremarkable so far. Pharmacological cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) stress test was performed to exclude coronary ischemia. The test was negative but, accidentally, a foreign body located in the epicardial adipose tissue was found. The foreign body was identified as the inflow pump connection of an LVAD which was left behind after HTX. Echocardiography and cardiac catheterization confirmed the diagnosis of CP. Surgical removal was performed and the epicardial tubular structure with a diameter of 30 mm was carefully removed accompanied by pericardiectomy. No postoperative complications occurred and the patient recovered uneventfully with a rapid improvement of symptoms. On follow-up 3 and 6 months later, the patient reported about a stable clinical course with improved physical capacity and absence of dyspnea.

[Dyspnea, fatigue and subpulmonary mass]. / Dyspnoe, Fatigue und subpulmonale Raumforderung.

A 52-year-old man was referred for progressive dyspnea and fatigue. The medical history was unremarkable and there were no signs of late infections or previous tumorous diseases. Physical examination revealed diminished breath sounds and a dull tone over the right lower side. Routine blood tests, arterial blood gas and body plethysmography were all within normal ranges. Chest X-ray and thorax computed tomography (CT) showed the presence of a homogeneous subpulmonary mass with a diameter of 10 cm which had a water-like density of approximately 1 Hounsfield unit (HU). The presence of an extraordinary large pericardial cyst compromising the right lower lobe and therefore causing dyspnea was confirmed by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Pericardial cysts are rare congenital mediastinal masses. They are usually asymptomatic and are usually found incidentally during routine chest X-ray, CT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or echocardiography. Most pericardial cysts are situated at the right cardiophrenic angle. When reaching a relevant size they can cause symptoms such as dyspnea, coughing, chest pain and fatigue. The imaging studies most useful for diagnosis are CT, MRI and echocardiography. Differential diagnoses are diaphragmatic hernia, trapped pleural effusion or other pleural or mediastinal tumors.

[Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, periorbital and subconjunctival swelling]. / Chronisch obstruktive Lungenerkrankung mit periorbitaler und subkonjunktivaler Schwellung.

A 70-year-old man with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and dilative cardiomyopathy was referred due to acute dyspnea and chest pain. After spontaneous pneumothorax was confirmed by chest radiography, a chest tube was inserted into the right side. Persistent air bubbles escaping through the water seal of the drainage in synchrony with respiration indicated a bronchopleural fistula. A physical examination revealed orbital and subconjunctival emphysemas. Skull and chest computed tomography (CT) scans showed further massive cervical, thoracic and pulmonary subcutaneous emphysemas which are increased subcutaneous amounts of gas which can disperse along the fasciae. Cardinal sign is the sensation of air under the skin known as subcutaneous crepitation (similiar to touching rice crispies). Conditions causing subcutaneous emphysemas are trauma, medical treatment and intracutaneous gas production by bacteria. In this case, large amounts of air leaked out of the pleural space through the incision made for the chest tube into the subcutaneous tissue, mediastinum and retroperitoneum causing subcutaneous emphysemas. From there, ascending air spread along the fascial planes of the mediastinum and cervical area through the inferior orbital fissure to the orbits and eyelids causing orbital and subconjunctival emphysemas. On the basis of the progressive emphysemas and persistent pneumothorax, a second chest tube was inserted. Subsequently, the signs and symptoms disappeared completely.