Clinical value of transesophageal echocardiography for surgical resection of inferior vena caval tumor thrombus with cardiac extension

Abstract

Inferior vena caval (IVC) tumor thrombus with cardiac extension is a very rare phenomenon,which proliferates fast and could be very challenging to the surgery.This paper was designed to investigate the clinical value of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for the surgical resection of IVC tumor thrombus extending into right cardiac cavities.Six cases from our medical institute,preoperatively diagnosed as IVC tumor thrombus with cardiac extension and scheduled for the surgical resection,were retrospectively analyzed.In addition to real-time and dynamic monitoring,comprehensive TEE exams were performed for all the patients respectively after anesthesia induction,namely before tumor resection and after tumor resection.Cardiac extension was defined by the preoperative finding of cardiac mass originated from IVC tumor thrombus by transthoracic echocardiography,computerized tomography or CT angiography.In all the cases,intraoperative TEE provided an accurate and excellent view of the IVC tumor thrombus.For case three,the IVC tumor thrombus was found at the IVC entrance to right atrium without further cardiac extension; for case five,the IVC tumor thrombus proliferated into right atrium but the extended cardiac mass was very slim and flexible and the tricuspid valve was untouched; for case four,the IVC tumor thrombus extended into right atrium and even cross the tricuspid valve but the extended cardiac mass was also very slim and flexible.Based on the TEE-provided information,the originally scheduled surgical decision was modified and the surgical resection was performed without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).For the other three cases,the intraoperative TEE showed similar results to preoperative findings.The huge IVC tumor thrombus extended into the right heart,presented almost no flexibility and dramatically compromised the intracardiac blood flow.For the three cases,CPB support was indispensable for the tumor resection.The full TEE exam after tumor resection in all the six patients displayed clear surgical resection without tumor residuals,but in those three patients suffered with severely compromised cardiac extension,severe tricuspid regurgitation was noticed.All the six patients were closely monitored until discharged,and no TEE-related complications were observed.This paper reports about TEE' s utilization in a series of consecutive patients undergoing surgical resection of IVC tumor thrombus with cardiac extension.In addition to its safety and effectiveness,TEE can provide valuable information for surgical decision making,surgical intervention assessment and anesthesiamanagement strategies. Key words: Echocardiography, transesophageal ; Thrombectomy ; Vena cava, inferior; Heart