Transseptal biopsy of a left atrial mass with 3-dimensional transesophageal echocardiographic guidance.

A 31-year-old man presented with a large cardiac mass that originated from the basal posterior left atrial wall and occupied most of the dilated atrium. Minimally invasive studies yielded inconclusive results, but the patient was considered at high risk for an open cardiac biopsy due to the size of the mass. To establish a tissue diagnosis for definitive treatment, we performed a transseptal cardiac biopsy guided by 3-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography.

Reoperative myectomy via the left ventricular apex in a patient with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.

Transaortic myectomy is the standard treatment for symptomatic patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy that proves to be refractive to medical therapy. We encountered a case that required a modified surgical approach to relieve a left ventricular outflow tract obstruction that could not be adequately resected through the aortic annulus because of poor exposure of the ventricular septum. Persistent high gradients after the 1st operation necessitated a 2nd operation.