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Query: UMLS:C0016382 (flushing)
 6,387 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Carcinoid heart disease is a rare entity and has always been hallmarked by its late appearance in the malignant carcinoid syndrome. Most cases are discovered when patients complain of typical symptoms, including flushing and diarrhea, with subsequent heart failure and valvulopathy developing years later. Only a few case reports of successful valve replacements have appeared in the literature, and the cause of the valvulopathy in those patients was known at surgery. I discuss herein a unique case of carcinoid heart disease that was diagnosed postoperatively.
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PMID:Carcinoid heart disease. A unique case of postvalvotomy diagnosis. 687 Apr 45

The carcinoid syndrome is a rare clinical entity, the unique manifestations of which continue to excite the interest of physicians. Despite a common origin from neural crest tissue, the tumors are partially differentiated, as evidence by the different secretory products of foregut, midgut, and hindgut carcinoids. They also differ in their ability to metastasize, thus presenting an even more varied clinical picture. The prognosis of patients with carcinoid syndrome varies with the origin of the tumor and extent of metastases. The management of patients with carcinoid syndrome is difficult. Despite an understanding of the neurohormones that carcinoid tumors secrete, their various antagonists and inhibitors have been only partially successful in providing symptomatic relief. Carcinoid heart disease represents the most intriguing aspect of this syndrome. Although valvular dysfunction most often coexists with flushing and diarrhea, the findings of tricuspid regurgitation or stenosis occasionally provide the first clue to the presence of the disease. Despite intensive research, the definite etiology of these valvular lesions has not been established. A small group of patients has been managed by valve replacement. While surgical treatment has been successful in improving hemodynamics in most of these patients, it is expected to prolong life only in those without extensive liver metastases. In patients with extensive metastatic disease, one must carefully consider whether the risks and trauma of cardiac surgery for palliation are justified.
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PMID:Carcinoid heart disease: a clinical pathologic, and therapeutic update. 704 96

(Neuro-)endocrine tumours of the gastrointestinal tract are also called 'carcinoids'. (Neuro-)endocrine midgut tumours can be categorized according to their clinical behaviour. Most tumours are non-functioning. Functioning tumours are responsible for the carcinoid syndrome. The carcinoid syndrome is almost uniquely associated with midgut carcinoids. Symptoms of the carcinoid syndrome are caused by an excess of biogenic amines, peptides and other factors in the circulation. The typical symptoms of the carcinoid syndrome are diarrhoea, flushing, and carcinoid heart disease. Carcinoid heart disease involves the tricuspid and pulmonary valves and the endocardium. Serum chromogranin A and urinary excretion of 5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) are biochemical markers. Carcinoid tumours express large numbers of high-affinity somatostatin receptors. These can bind the currently available octapeptide somatostatin analogues. In inoperable patients, biotherapy with somatostatin analogues and interferon-alpha is the treatment of choice. Somatostatin analogues and interferon-alpha significantly improve symptoms.
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PMID:Tumours of the midgut (jejunum, ileum and ascending colon, including carcinoid syndrome). 1625 95

Carcinoid heart disease is characterized by heart valve dysfunction as well as carcinoid symptomatology. We report a case of carcinoid heart disease associated with a primary ovarian tumor. A 60-year-old woman presented for dyspnea evaluation with a history of facial flushing, telangiectatic skin changes, and pitting edema of both lower extremities. Chest radiography showed cardiomegaly, and echocardiography revealed an isolated, severe tricuspid regurgitation without left-sided valvular dysfunction. The tricuspid leaflets were severely retracted and shortened, resulting in poor coaptation. Furthermore, mild pulmonary valve stenosis and moderate regurgitation were found along with this deformation. The 24-hour urine analysis revealed an increased level of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, and an ovarian tumor was apparent on computed tomography images. The mass was surgically removed, and the patient was diagnosed as having a primary ovarian carcinoid tumor. She was treated with chemotherapy and regularly followed-up with supportive treatments, deferring surgical correction.
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PMID:Ovarian tumor-associated carcinoid heart disease presenting as severe tricuspid regurgitation. 2151 94

Carcinoid tumors are rare, indolent neuroendocrine tumors that are often associated with a syndrome characterized by episodic flushing, secretory diarrhea, bronchospasm, and hypotension-the carcinoid syndrome. Cardiac involvement occurs in one-half to two-thirds of patients with carcinoid syndrome and is associated with a worse clinical outcome. Carcinoid heart disease is characterized by endocardial plaque-like deposits found predominantly on right-sided heart valves, leading to the combination of valvular stenosis and regurgitation. Left-sided cardiac involvement can also occur in <10% of patients. Somatostatin analogs form the therapeutic cornerstone in the medical management of these patients. Cytotoxic chemotherapy has had only limited success in the treatment of metastatic carcinoid tumors. Hepatic resection or palliative cytoreduction may be of benefit in patients with limited hepatic disease. Hepatic artery embolization is usually applied if a patient is not eligible for surgical debulking. The development and progression of carcinoid heart disease are associated with an unfavorable outcome. In those patients having severe cardiac involvement and well-controlled systemic disease, valve replacement surgery has been found to be an effective treatment that can both relieve intractable symptoms and contribute to improved clinical outcomes.
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PMID:Carcinoid heart disease. 2231 45

Carcinoid tumors are neuroendocrine tumors with a very unpredictable clinical behavior. In the setting of hepatic metastases, the tumor's release of bioactive substances into the systemic circulation results in carcinoid syndrome: a constellation of symptoms among which cutaneous flushing, gastrointestinal hypermotility, and cardiac involvement are the most prominent. Cardiac manifestations, also known as carcinoid heart disease, are secondary to a severe fibrotic reaction which frequently involves the right-sided valves and may extend towards the subvalvular apparatus leading to valve thickening and retraction. Left-sided involvement is rare and mostly observed in the presence of an interatrial shunt, endobronchial tumor localization, and high tumor activity. Echocardiographic techniques often reveal noncoaptation of the valves, which are fixed in a semiopen position. In patients with advanced lesions and severe valvular dysfunction, surgery is currently the only definitive treatment to potentially improve quality of life and provide survival benefit. Although cardiac surgery has been traditionally reserved for those patients with symptomatic right ventricular failure, a significant trend towards improved surgical outcomes has triggered a more liberal referral for valve replacement. Carcinoid heart disease poses two distinct challenges for the anesthesiologist: carcinoid crisis and low cardiac output syndrome secondary to right ventricular failure. Carcinoid crisis, characterized by flushing, hypotension, and bronchospasm, may be precipitated by catecholamines and histamine releasing drugs used routinely in patients undergoing valve surgery. Although a broader utilization of octreotide have significantly simplified the anesthetic and perioperative management of these patients, a very balanced anesthetic technique is required to identify and manage low cardiac output syndrome.
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PMID:Current concepts in diagnosis and perioperative management of carcinoid heart disease. 2317 18

Carcinoids are rare tumors originating from neuroendocrine cells. A large proportion of these tumors produce serotonin and other biologically active hormones which may produce carcinoid syndrome characterized by flushing, diarrhoea and bronchospasm. Carcinoid heart disease, a rare complication of carcinoid syndrome, may itself have a great impact on life expectancy of patients with carcinoid syndrome. The authors present a case history of a patients with carcinoid heart disease and they review the symptoms, diagnosis and therapeutic options of this rare complication of carcinoid syndrome.
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PMID:[Carcinoid heart disease]. 2354 33