A giant, free-floating mass in the left atrium in a patient with atrial fibrillation.

A large intracardiac mass is a rare condition and one with an extremely high risk of haemodynamic and embolic complications. Urgent surgical excision is the treatment of choice, and the histological examination reveals the exact nature of the mass, usually a myxoma or a thrombus. We present the case of an 80-year-old woman, with a history of atrial fibrillation, who was admitted because of a seriously impaired level of consciousness, and fever.

Incidental diagnosis of a large coronary fistula: angiographic and cardiac MRI findings.

Coronary artery fistulas are rare anomalies of the coronary arteries that may sometimes be totally asymptomatic and can be found incidentally during coronary arteriography later in adult life. We report the case of a 75-year-old man with such a fistula and describe our diagnostic approach. In addition, we review the literature on the etiology, epidemiology, the diagnostic modalities and treatment of coronary fistulas.

Chest pain and ST-segment elevation in a patient with polymyositis: a case report.

Background: Cardiac involvement in patients with polymyositis is well-documented and includes myocarditis, coronary arteritis, pericarditis, valvular dysfunction and arrhythmias.

Case Report: There are only few reports of acute myocarditis in patients with polymyositis and, although it usually follows a chronic, mild course, it may occasionally become life-threatening. We describe the case of a 36-year-old young woman suffering from polymyositis who presented with clinical signs and symptoms mimicking an ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome.