Pulmonary tumour embolism from gastric adenocarcinoma causing respiratory and cardiac failure may not be identified on standard ante-mortem imaging
Pulmonary tumour embolism is severe complication of malignancy, often presenting with progressive dyspnoea and respiratory failure. Due to their non-specific symptoms and absence of clear imaging findings, diagnosis is frequently delayed or made post-mortem. This is a case of previously undiagnosed...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SMC MEDIA SRL
2025-03-01
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| Series: | European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.ejcrim.com/index.php/EJCRIM/article/view/5294 |
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| Summary: | Pulmonary tumour embolism is severe complication of malignancy, often presenting with progressive dyspnoea and respiratory failure. Due to their non-specific symptoms and absence of clear imaging findings, diagnosis is frequently delayed or made post-mortem. This is a case of previously undiagnosed gastric adenocarcinoma presenting with rapidly worsening respiratory symptoms: hypoxaemia, pulmonary hypertension and heart failure. Standard imagining – computed tomography angiography and echocardiography – provide indirect evidence, definitive diagnosis of pulmonary tumour embolism confirmed post-mortem. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges associated with a pulmonary tumour embolism and underscores the importance of early suspicion of malignancy-related complications in cases of progressive respiratory and cardiac failure without radiographic evidence of pulmonary embolism. |
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| ISSN: | 2284-2594 |