[Diagnosis of intra- and pericardial tumor with transthoracic and transesophageal 2D echocardiography].

To examine the value of the combined approach of transthoracic and transesophageal 2D-echocardiography in diagnosis of heart tumors this study was performed on 30 patients (11 males, 19 females, age 15 to 82 years) with atrial (n = 17) and pericardial (n = 13) tumors. Echocardiography was performed using an electronic sector scanner (Varian 3400 R) and a 2.25 MHz transducer for the transthoracic approach and a 3.5 MHz transducer at the tip of a 9 mm gastroscope for examination from the esophagus. In 9 of 11 patients with atrial myxoma diagnosis was established by transthoracic echocardiography, whereas in 2 cases with reduced image quality at the conventional approach the tumor was identified by the transesophageal technique. In one of 5 patients with atrial thrombi acoustic properties and mobility could be better judged by transesophageal echocardiography. In 7 of 13 cases with pericardial tumors diagnosis was established by transthoracic echocardiography, whereas in 6 cases diagnosis was achieved by the transesophageal approach only. Thus, transesophageal echocardiography is suggested a decisive additional tool in diagnosis of heart tumors.