ABSTRACT
Cardiac masses, intracardiac thrombi, and pericardial abnormalities are infrequently occurring abnormalities, which can be identified by computed tomography (CT) cardiac imaging. Atrial myxomas account for 50% of intracardiac tumors. They are usually located in the left atrium attached to the atrial septum at the fossa ovalis and are often pedunculated. Intracardiac thrombi are usually seen as filling defects within the contrast-filled cardiac chambers. In the left ventricle they are usually located at the site of an infarcted myocardium most frequently in the apex of the left ventricle following a large anterior wall myocardial infarction. Pericardial effusion, diffusely located, small in amounts or as massive fluid accumulation, is most readily seen on CT imaging. Pericardial cysts are unusual but readily identifiable by CT because they are filled with low-density fluid that has an attenuation value similar to water. Multislice CT is a useful, non-invasive technique for the evaluation of intracardiac masses, intracardiac thrombi, and pericardial disease.
