%0 Journal Article
%T Case Report: Caseous Calcification of the Mitral Annulus in an 88-Year-Old Woman
%A Giuseppe Fede
%A Giuseppe Abate
%A Paola Belluardo
%A Carmelo Di Tommasi
%A Maria Luisa Guarrella
%A Nicoletta Guccione
%A Guglielmo Piccione
%A Salvatore Solarino
%A Giuseppe Sulsenti
%A Giovanni Tasca
%A Sabina Ficili
%J Open Journal of Internal Medicine
%P 337-341
%@ 2162-5980
%D 2020
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/ojim.2020.104035
%X The caseous calcification of the mitral annulus (CCMA) is a rare variant of the mitral annulus calcification (MAC), with prevalence of 0.067% in general population. It is usually an asymptomatic condition but rarely it can cause severe mitral valve dysfunction, embolization, and conduction abnormalities. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is a useful diagnostic tool. However, it can be necessary a multi-modality imaging approach for a differential diagnosis among other intra-cardiac masses. We are presenting a case of CCMA in an 88-year-old woman admitted to our department for acute decompensation of chronic heart failure. TTE has shown pathognomonic findings of CCMA. Tridimensional trans-esophageal echocardiography (3D TEE) gave a better characterization of the CCMA, avoiding further diagnostic procedures.
%K Mitral Valve
%K Caseous Calcification
%K Tridimensional Echocardiography
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=103904