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Scientific article
English

Pulmonary tumor embolism: a rare cause of acute right heart failure with elevated D-dimers

Published inJournal of thoracic oncology, vol. 3, no. 12, p. 1482-1483
Publication date2008
Abstract

We report the case of a 49-year-old woman with a prior history of breast cancer who presented with a subacute course of progressive dyspnoea, culminating in cardiovascular collapse from acute right heart failure. D-dimer serum level was elevated. While a computed tomography of the chest was negative for pulmonary embolism, the autopsy study revealed multiple carcinomatous emboli in distal pulmonary arteries, veins, and lymphatics. Pulmonary tumor embolism may be more frequent than previously thought, and could be mistaken for pulmonary thrombo-embolism.

Keywords
  • Adenocarcinoma/blood/secondary
  • Autopsy
  • Breast Neoplasms/pathology
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Dyspnea/diagnosis/etiology
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Female
  • Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products/metabolism
  • Heart Failure/blood/etiology
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms/blood/secondary
  • Lymphangitis/diagnosis/etiology
  • Neoplastic Cells, Circulating/pathology
  • Pulmonary Embolism/blood/complications
  • Pulmonary Heart Disease/blood/etiology
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Citation (ISO format)
KRIDEL, Robert et al. Pulmonary tumor embolism: a rare cause of acute right heart failure with elevated D-dimers. In: Journal of thoracic oncology, 2008, vol. 3, n° 12, p. 1482–1483. doi: 10.1097/JTO.0b013e31818e107c
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Article (Accepted version)
accessLevelRestricted
Identifiers
ISSN of the journal1556-1380
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