Long journey of sclerosant from the esophagus to the right atrium

Korean Circ J. 2010 Sep;40(9):468-70. doi: 10.4070/kcj.2010.40.9.468. Epub 2010 Sep 30.

Abstract

A 34-year-old man, who had been treated with an endoscopic injection of a mixture of n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (Histoacryl) and Lipiodol for control of variceal bleeding 6 months previously, presented with an intracardiac mass in the right atrium (RA). Two-dimensional echocardiography revealed an intracardiac mass in the RA that appeared to extend from the inferior vena cava. The origin of the sclerosant was traced by computed tomography (CT). This is a very rare case in which the sclerosant migration route was demonstrated by CT scan. The findings of this case suggest that the systemic migration of sclerosant into an intracardiac chamber should be considered in patients with an intracardiac mass, especially with a history of previous sclerotherapy for variceal bleeding.

Keywords: Embolism; Esophageal varix; N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate; Right atrium; Sclerotherapy.