ABSTRACT
The finding of a cardiac mass often has significant clinical implications and therefore apparent masses need careful echo evaluation to determine, as far as possible, their likely nature. Some harmless structures, such as the right ventricular (RV) moderator band, can give the appearance of a mass, and so it is particularly important to try to distinguish a mass that is pathological from one that is a normal variant. Cardiac masses on echo can result from:
tumours
primary cardiac tumours
benign
malignant
secondary cardiac tumours
thrombus
vegetations
normal variants and other conditions
moderator band
Lambl’s excrescences
Eustachian valve
Chiari network
lipomatous hypertrophy of the interatrial septum
dilated vessels
cysts
implanted devices.
