Transcatheter biopsy for intracardiac masses

Intracardiac masses are rare and can involve any cardiac chamber or major vessel. The differential diagnosis includes hundreds of separate entities and can be impossible to establish without histology. Cardiac surgical excision has remained the mainstay of diagnosis and the only treatment option for compressive masses. Transcatheter biopsy of intracardiac masses is a minimally invasive procedure that can establish a histopathologic diagnosis and guide clinical decision-making without the morbidity and mortality associated with cardiac surgery. This chapter focuses on the practical aspects of transcatheter biopsy for intracardiac masses and discusses case selection, procedural planning, sample analysis, and clinical applications for this diagnostic structural procedure.