Clinical & Experimental Cardiology
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9880
+44 1300 500008
ISSN: 2155-9880
+44 1300 500008
Andris Skride
Riga Stradins University, Latvia
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Clin Exp Cardiolog
Choriocarcinoma of the pulmonary artery is rare but curable. The condition is characterized by unspecific symptoms and radiological findings, which can mimic pneumonia and tuberculosis in early stages and pulmonary embolism and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in later stages of disease, representing diagnostic challenges. It is important to identify unspecific respiratory symptoms in the presence of meno-metrorrhagia after pregnancy and/or childbirth, and to measure �²-hCG levels. Figure 1 Panels A&B: Contrast-enhanced CT scan before and 3�½ months after PEA. In Panel A, the pulmonary artery obstruction is overriding the bifurcation (red arrow), irregularly shaped and protruding into the lumen, which is typical for pulmonary artery malignancy (myxoma, angio-sarcoma, choriocarcinoma), and was the only sign alarming the CTEPH surgeon who sent out a frozen section during PEA. Pulmonary artery patency was restored by PEA (Panel B). Panels C and D: Histological images of the PEA specimen. In Panel C a hematoxylin-eosin stain of a 3�µm paraffin section of the PEA specimen is shown, in panel D the parallel stain with an antibody directed against �²-HCG. Giant cells (white arrows) are typical of choriocarcinoma and are staining dark brown.
Andris Skride is an Interventional Cardiologist and Pulmonary Hypertension Expert at Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital in Riga, Latvia. He is the Founder and current Manager of Latvian Pulmonary Hypertension Registry and Head of Rare Disease Specialist Association of Latvia. He has been actively involved in education of health professionals in Latvia, aiming to increase the awareness of rare diseases in daily practice as many of those diseases are severely underdiagnosed in developing countries. He is also one of the main organizers of two local conferences on rare diseases and of the first Baltic Pulmonary Hypertension Conference which took place in Riga last spring.