[Severe valvular aortic stenosis in a 78-year-old woman].

We present a case of a 78-year-old woman with severe valvular aortic stenosis which was diagnosed for the first time ever in our department despite the patient having been treated by general practitioners for several years because of diabetes mellitus. The patient complained of recurrent syncope, effort dyspnea and angina. During echocardiographic evaluation calcified stenotic aortic valve with extremely high maximal aortic gradient (199 mmHg) was found.

Symptomatic atrial pacemaker lead thrombosis: detection by echocardiography and successful surgical treatment.

Formation of thrombi on a permanent pacemaker lead is a rare complication of pacing. However, because of its serious outcome it should be suspected in a patient who reveals right-sided heart failure, dyspnea, or syncope. An early decision to perform an echocardiographic examination, followed by surgical or thrombolytic treatment can solve this clinical problem.

Right ventricular outflow tract obstruction by cardiac metastasis as the first manifestation of follicular thyroid carcinoma.

A 40-year-old man was sent to the echocardiographic laboratory because of a heart murmur. An intracardiac mass, causing obstruction of flow within right ventricle, was diagnosed and the patient was referred to surgery. Histologic examination classified the mass as a metastasis of highly differentiated follicular carcinoma of the thyroid gland.