Echocardiography of Cardiac Metastases

Metastatic disease to the heart is a relatively common entity that may involve the pericardium, myocardium, or endocardium singly or in combination. Echocardiography, particularly two-dimensional imaging, is the most sensitive tool for detecting metastatic disease to the heart. Simple, safe, and noninvasive, it can provide better anatomic detail than can more invasive studies. This information is helpful not only in diagnosis and treatment planning, but in differential diagnoses of unusual cardiac configurations and guidance for pericardiocentesis of loculated effusions.