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Carcinoid Heart Disease: Diagnostic Value of Cardiac MRI in a Patient With Metastatic Small‑Intestinal Neuroendocrine Tumor Cover

Carcinoid Heart Disease: Diagnostic Value of Cardiac MRI in a Patient With Metastatic Small‑Intestinal Neuroendocrine Tumor

Open Access
|Feb 2026

Abstract

Carcinoid heart disease (CHD) is a serious and potentially life‑limiting complication of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), resulting from prolonged systemic exposure to serotonin and other vasoactive substances, leading to fibrotic valvular degeneration. We report the case of a 71‑year‑old woman with metastatic small‑intestinal NET and associated carcinoid syndrome presenting with progressive exertional intolerance. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed severe tricuspid and moderate pulmonary regurgitation with right‑sided ventricular dilation. Cardiac MRI confirmed regurgitation and right‑heart remodeling consistent with CHD.

Teaching point: This case highlights the diagnostic value of multimodal imaging, particularly cardiac MRI, in confirming and characterizing CHD in patients with metastatic NETs.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/jbsr.4191 | Journal eISSN: 2514-8281
Language: English
Submitted on: Dec 14, 2025
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Accepted on: Jan 19, 2026
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Published on: Feb 13, 2026
Published by: Ubiquity Press
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 1 issue per year

© 2026 Simon Kaessner, Thiebault Saveyn, Benjamin Leenknegt, published by Ubiquity Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.