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Hidden Heart Conditions Challenged Diagnoses in Two Young Women
Two young women had heart problems that were difficult to find.
Sayanee fainted and often had a very fast heartbeat.
Regular heart tests did not show what was wrong.
More detailed scans found a harmless fatty tumor called a cardiac lipoma.
The tumor was close to the heart’s electrical system, so doctors removed it with open-heart surgery.
Rima had surgery as a child to close a hole in her heart.
She stayed short of breath for years, and doctors later found a membrane dividing part of her heart.
This condition, called cor triatriatum, made it harder for blood to flow.
Both women improved after receiving the correct treatment.
Sayanee Banerjee experienced blackouts, palpitations and a rapid heartbeat before imaging revealed a cardiac lipoma.
Routine echocardiograms initially showed Sayanee’s heart as structurally normal, while an MRI and CT scan detected the mass.
The lipoma was located near the heart’s electrical system and was removed through open-heart surgery.
Rima remained breathless for 13 years after surgery for an atrial septal defect before doctors diagnosed cor triatriatum.
Both women recovered after surgery, highlighting the need to reassess persistent or unexplained symptoms.
- Who
- Sayanee Banerjee, Rima, and the doctors who evaluated and treated them.
- What
- Two young women were diagnosed with uncommon heart conditions after initial evaluations did not fully explain their symptoms.
- Where
- Sayanee was treated at Fortis Hospital in Gurugram, and Rima was evaluated at Safdarjung Hospital.
- When
- Sayanee’s symptoms worsened before her surgery; Rima was diagnosed at age 21 after 13 years of breathlessness following childhood surgery.
- Why
- Sayanee’s tumor was difficult to see on echocardiograms, while Rima’s persistent symptoms reflected a condition different from her original diagnosis.
Initial explanations
Further evaluation
Interpreting unexplained symptoms
Initial explanations
Sayanee’s palpitations and elevated heart rate were attributed by several cardiologists to stress and anxiety after routine tests appeared normal.
Further evaluation
Advanced imaging later found a cardiac lipoma, showing that persistent symptoms may require additional investigation.
Reliance on an earlier diagnosis
Initial explanations
Rima’s childhood atrial septal defect was repaired, and it was expected to explain and resolve her heart problem.
Further evaluation
Her continuing breathlessness led doctors to reassess the case and identify cor triatriatum, a separate congenital condition.
Key facts
- Sayanee’s condition
- A cardiac lipoma, described as a benign tumor made of mature fat cells.
- Sayanee’s symptoms
- Blackouts, palpitations, chest stiffness and resting heart rates of 110 to 115 beats per minute.
- Sayanee’s diagnosis
- A cardiac MRI with a CT scan revealed the heart mass after routine tests were unrevealing.
- Sayanee’s treatment
- Open-heart surgery removed the tumor while preserving heart muscle and electrical pathways.
- Rima’s original diagnosis
- An atrial septal defect, or a hole between the heart’s two upper chambers, was repaired when she was eight.
- Rima’s later diagnosis
- Cor triatriatum, in which an abnormal membrane divides the left atrium into two chambers.
- Reported outcomes
- Both women were described as doing well after surgery, with normal heart function reported for Sayanee and no ongoing blood-flow or breathing problems for Rima.
Quotes
Dr Anubhav Gupta
Professor of cardiology at Safdarjung Hospital, who evaluated Rima.
“The location of her tumour was unusual and could remain invisible on an echocardiogram. An echocardiogram uses sound waves to produce images of the heart. Depending on the angle and the chamber being examined, a mass can occupy an area that is difficult for the technique to visualise.”
indianexpress.com
“A thorough evaluation prior to surgery and meticulous examination during surgery are essential, particularly when the clinical picture does not completely fit the initial diagnosis.”
indianexpress.com
Sayanee Banerjee
Twenty-nine-year-old patient treated for a cardiac lipoma.
“If I have to tell someone I love that I love them, I wouldn’t wait till tomorrow. I’ll tell them today itself.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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