A potential misdiagnosis in the COVID-19 pandemic era: a case report of superimposed thrombosis or tumor recurrence

Background The clinical manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) overlap with those of other disorders, especially cardiovascular disease. Case presentation We herein describe a 58-year-old woman who presented with syncopal episodes and dyspnea on exertion with a left atrial (LA) mass, scheduled for surgical removal and mitral valve replacement. Nearly 3 months later, the patient developed dyspnea, fever, and a sore throat, resulting in hospital admission with suspected COVID-19. During the diagnostic evaluation, a larger LA mass was detected. The mass seemed to be a COVID-19–induced organized thrombus with prosthetic mitral valve malfunction. Resection was, therefore, planned. An immunohistochemistry study revealed a liposarcoma. Conclusions The unusual early recurrence of liposarcomas and the misdiagnosis with COVID-19–induced thrombosis are the hallmark of the present case.

Masson’s Hemangioma of Knee: A Rare Case Report

Introduction: Intrasynovial hemangioma, a rare benign vascular lesion of joint cavities, is also called intrasynovial papillary endothelial hyperplasia or Masson’s hemangioma (MH). These lesions are characterized by abnormal proliferation of endothelial cells with mild atypia with an organized thrombus. MH follows an individualized protocol for its management. Case Report: A 22-year-old male gave a 10-year history of the diagnosed and operated (arthroscopically) case of synovial hemangioma of the left knee and presented with similar complaints. There was no history of trauma or infection over the left knee. The movements of the left knee were normal except with terminal restriction of movements. MRI of the left knee suggested intrasynovial low flow vascular malformation within the substance of the synovium. The patient underwent synovectomy of the hemangiomatous lesion in toto without any recurrence in the follow-up period for 8 months. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia/MH. Conclusion: Although intrasynovial hemangioma is a very rare clinical entity, Orthopedic surgeons should have a high index of suspicion for MH, when a long-standing pain and hemarthrosis of the knee joint is being encountered in the clinical practice. Keywords: Hemangioma, Intrasynovial, MRI, Excision biopsy.

A Potential Misdiagnosis in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era: A Case Report of Superimposed Thrombosis or Tumor Recurrence

Background: The clinical manifestation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) overlap with other disorders especially cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The prevailing conditions in the COVID-19 pandemic can distract us from other differential diagnoses.Case presentation: We report a 58 years old female presented with syncope episodes and dyspnea on exertion (DOE) with the left atrial (LA) mass, candidate for surgical removal and mitral valve replacement. Nearly 3 months later, she developed dyspnea, fever, and a sore throat cause to admit her with suspected COVID-19. During diagnostic evaluation, a larger LA mass detected that seemed to be COVID-19 induced organized thrombus with prosthetic mitral valve malfunction. The mass resected and immunohistochemistry revealed liposarcoma.Conclusions: The unusual early recurrence of liposarcoma and misdiagnosis with COVID-19 induced thrombosis is the hallmark of the present case that we keep other causes in mind besides COVID-19.

Bentall and redo-Konno Operation for an Adult With Aortic Paraprosthetic Leak and Root Aneurysm

We report a case of Bentall and redo-Konno operation. A 39-year-old male with surgical history of Konno operation presented with hemolytic anemia and heart failure. Further evaluations revealed aortic paraprosthetic leak with moderate regurgitation, moderate biventricular outflow tract obstruction, and aortic root aneurysm. During the operation, the old Konno septoplasty patch with organized thrombus and the severely calcified right ventricular patch were replaced, and the aortic root was replaced with a larger mechanical valve in a Valsalva graft. Postoperative images showed appropriately reconstructed biventricular outflow tracts. The Bentall operation with redo-Konno was an excellent option in this situation.

A case of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a potentially fatal complication of pulmonary embolism (PE). Organized thrombus in the pulmonary artery causes a chronic obstruction, leading to a vascular system remodeling, an increase of pulmonary vascular resistance and a chronic pulmonary hypertension. Epidemiology is mostly unknown due to the difficult diagnostic process that often leads to a late diagnosis: findings of persistent pulmonary hypertension (PH), despite correct treatment of PE, lead to the diagnostic suspect. The first choice treatment is pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) associated with lifelong anticoagulant therapy with vitamin K antagonist. We present the case of a 53-year-old male affected by dyspnea for months, admitted to a sub-intensive care unit for intermediate low-risk PE; echocardiography showed signs of PH persisting after anticoagulant therapy; after 2 months of specific treatment the diagnosis of CTEPH was confirmed and the patient was successfully treated with PEA.

Successful Implementation of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support as a Bridge to Heart-Lung Transplantation in an Eisenmenger’s Syndrome Patient With Paradoxical Coronary Embolism

We report a case of a 23-year-old female with a history of unrepaired ventricular septal defect and pulmonary arterial hypertension with Eisenmenger’s syndrome (ES) presenting with chest pain. Electrocardiography demonstrated new anterior Q waves and anterolateral ST elevations, and coronary angiography revealed a large organized thrombus in the mid-left anterior descending artery consistent with paradoxical coronary embolism. Patient was treated with percutaneous coronary intervention and aggressive anticoagulation management. Intensive care unit course was complicated by respiratory failure requiring intubation due to hospital-acquired pneumonia in the setting of severe pulmonary hypertension. Patient was emergently initiated on veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support (ECMO) as a bridge to heart-lung transplantation. After initiation of ECMO, patient displayed significant clinical improvement and underwent successful heart-lung transplantation. This case highlights veno-venous ECMO as a bridge to heart-lung transplantation in acutely decompensated patients with ES, and is the first reported case of paradoxical coronary embolism in a patient with ES.