CASE REPORTS   

Minerva Cardioangiologica 2007 August;55(4):503-7

Copyright © 2007 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Brain cancer mimicking an acute coronary syndrome

D’Aloia A., Vizzardi E., Faggiano P., Brentana L., Procopio R., Fiorina C., Dei Cas L.

Department of Cardiology University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy

The authors report the case of a 62-year-old woman admitted to hospital for episodes of chest pain with ischemic abnormalities at ECG without enzyme release. Coronography confirmed a normal coronary tree with mild ascending aortic dilatation. Subsequent diagnostic and clinical examinations resulted normal. Episodes of chest pain and dyspnea persisted over the following days. Administration of nitrates, calcium antagonist, diuretic, antidepressant agents for suspected syndrome X led to partial improvement of clinical symptoms. The patient was discharged from the hospital. A few days later she was referred to the neurology department because of an episode of transient dysarthria, hyposthenia and paresthesis localized to the right lower and upper limbs associated with chest pain. A brain computed tomography showed an expansive solid mass. Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and stereotaxis biopsy confirmed the etiology of the lesion to be a glioblastoma. The patient died soon thereafter from respiratory and cardiocirculatory arrest.