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(Circulation. 2002;105:779.)
© 2002 American Heart Association, Inc.

Images in Cardiovascular Medicine

A Broken Heart

Herbert L. Fred, MD

From the Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Tex.

Correspondence to Dr Herbert L. Fred, 8181 Fannin, Suite 316, Houston TX 77054.

A 69-year-old woman underwent a coronary artery bypass procedure (allegedly on Valentine’s Day). A portable chest film obtained on the second postoperative day showed a striking radiolucent line bisecting the patient’s heart (Figure). On a follow-up film made several hours later, the line had disappeared, proving that it was an artifact and not the result of the surgeon’s knife (or Cupid’s arrow). The cause of the artifact remains a mystery.

View larger version (84K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Portable chest film showing mysterious, holiday-appropriate artifact.

Footnotes

The editor of Images in Cardiovascular Medicine is Hugh A. McAllister, Jr, MD, Chief, Department of Pathology, St.Luke's Episcopal Hospital and Texas Heart Institute, and Clinical Professor of Pathology, University of Texas Medical School and Baylor College of Medicine.

Circulation encourages readers to submit cardiovascular images to the Circulation Editoral Office, St.Luke's Episcopal Hospital/Texas Heart Institute, 6720 Bertner Ave, MCI-267, Houston, TX 77030.