Tissue Characterization of a Suspected Aortic Valve Fibroelastoma With Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Apreviously healthy 29-year-old woman complaining of atypical chest pain was referred to our hospital. No cardiovascular risk factors were present. Resting ECG demonstrated normal sinus rhythm, and an exercise ECG during full workload was inconspicuous. Routine transthoracic echocardiography revealed a small lesion protruding from the aortic side of the aortic valve (Figure 1, Data Supplement Movie I) that was suggestive of a primary cardiac valve tumor. In such a case, differential diagnosis consists of tumor, thrombus, or vegetation and usually relies on clinical presentation or localization of the structure alone. Consequently, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging was attempted for tissue characterization. Figure 1. A, Transthoracic echocardiography detected a small, globular mass (7×7 mm, arrow) attached to the right coronary cusp …