[Carcinoid heart disease secondary to a tumor of the small intestine. Apropos of a case with associated tricuspid and pulmonary insufficiency].

The authors report a case of carcinoid heart disease secondary to a tumour of the small bowel with liver metastases. There were severe lesions of the endocardium on the right side of the heart, with gross pulmonary and tricuspid incompetence. The left side of the heart did not escape but the fibrous plaques were limited to the papillary muscle of the mitral valve, and had no effect upon the haemodynamics. The pathogenesis of the strange cardiac lesion may be partly explained in terms of the toxicity to the endothelium of bradykinin. In spite of the serious nature of the valvular damage is it right to consider surgical correction, bearing in mind the fact that the prognosis of carcinoid syndrome is still very poor despite treatment?