heart and blood vessel disorders
Overview of Heart Tumors
Diagnosis of Heart Tumors
Imaging with echocardiography, computed tomography (CT), and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Primary heart tumors are difficult to diagnose because they are relatively uncommon and because their symptoms resemble those of many other disorders. Doctors may suspect a primary heart tumor in people who have heart murmurs, Overview of Abnormal Heart Rhythms (causing palpitations, weakness, or fainting), unexplained symptoms of If a tumor is suspected, Echocardiography and Other Ultrasound Procedures is usually done to confirm the diagnosis. For this procedure, a probe that emits ultrasound waves is passed over the chest, producing an image of heart structures. If another view of the heart is needed, the probe can be passed down the throat into the esophagus to record signals from just behind the heart. This procedure is called Computed Tomography (CT) of the Heart (CT) or Unlike with tumors in most other parts of the body, doctors rarely do a heart biopsy (taking a tissue sample to look at it under a microscope). Heart biopsy may be dangerous depending upon the location of the tumor, and doctors can usually tell the difference between benign and cancerous heart tumors from the results of imaging tests. 