Carcinoid heart disease. Successful repair of the valvular lesions under cardiopulmonary bypass.

THE CARCINOID TUMOR is a slow growing malignant lesion capable of distant metastases. Frequently, patients afflicted with this tumor develop a pathognomonic fibrosis of valves and endocardium involving primarily the right side of the heart. Although only 50% of the patients with metastatic disease survive for 3 years, these patients usually succumb from intractable congestive heart failure.' Recently, a patient was seen at the University of Rochester Medical Center with severe congestive heart failure due to carcinoid heart disease. This patient experienced dramatic improvement following corrective openheart surgery of both tricuspid and pulmonic valves. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first patient with carcinoid heart disease successfully treated by surgery.