Abstract
mass compressed the left atrium and was not an artifact due to far-field imaging and poor lateral resolution.7 Luminal pressure may have been sufficient to compress the left atrium, since motor activity may increase pressure throughout the esophagus if the lumen is not ob1iterated.s In addition, the hydrostatic pressure exerted by a column of fluid may contribute to the increase in luminal pressure.2 Thus changes in lower esophageal tone and intermittent esophageal emptying may have resulted in dynamic changes in luminal pressure sufficient to compress and decompress the left atrium. Our case illustrates that functional as well as structural disorders of the esophagus hould be considered in the differential diagnosis of extracardiac masses that compress the left atrium. It also highlights the superiority of CT scanning over two-dimensional echocardiography for the characterization of extracardiac masses.
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