Fulminant isolated cardiac sarcoidosis with pericardial effusion and acute heart failure: Challenging aspects of diagnosis and treatment

Nina Fluschnik; Gunnar Lund; Peter Moritz Becher; Stefan Blankenberg; Kai Muellerleile

doi:10.12998/wjcc.v4.i3.76

Fulminant isolated cardiac sarcoidosis with pericardial effusion and acute heart failure: Challenging aspects of diagnosis and treatment

World J Clin Cases. 2016 Mar 16;4(3):76-80. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v4.i3.76.

Authors

Nina Fluschnik¹, Gunnar Lund¹, Peter Moritz Becher¹, Stefan Blankenberg¹, Kai Muellerleile¹

Affiliation

¹ Nina Fluschnik, Peter Moritz Becher, Stefan Blankenberg, Kai Muellerleile, Department of General and Interventional Cardiology, University Heart Center, 20246 Hamburg Eppendorf, Germany.

Abstract

This case report illustrates challenging aspects of diagnosis and treatment of isolated sarcoid heart disease (SHD) and the role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. Here, we present a previously healthy 45-year-old man, who was admitted with pericardial effusion and symptoms of acute heart failure. CMR followed by targeted left ventricular endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) revealed the diagnosis of isolated SHD. The combined use of CMR and EMB was crucial in diagnosing SHD. Furthermore, this case report demonstrates the value of CMR for monitoring response to therapy and lesion healing.

Keywords: Cardiac sarcoidosis; Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging; Endomyocardial biopsy; Heart failure; Internal cardiac defibrillator.

Publication types

Case Reports