SURGERY FOR HEART VALVE DISEASE SECONDARY TO NEUROENDOCRINE TUMORS

Background: Neuroendocrine tumors (NET) are known to be associated with development of heart valve disease, the Hedinger syndrome. This is due to the release of vasoactive substances inducing endocardial plaques of fibrous tissues. The disease may be associated with increased mortality. Methods: Herein we analyzed the early and mid-term outcomes of patients who underwent surgery for NET-related heart valve disease at our Institution from March 2019 to March 2024. Results: The present study includes 11 consecutive patients with a mean age of 66.2±7.0 years, of whom eight (72.7%) patients were females. Ten patients underwent replacement of the tricuspid valve, and 6 patients underwent replacement of the pulmonary valve. None of the patients underwent surgery for aortic valve or mitral valve disease. One patient underwent concomitant coronary surgery. One (9.0%) patient died during the index hospitalization because of sepsis. None of the other patients experienced neurological complications, severe bleeding or stage 3 acute kidney disease. At 3-year, all-cause mortality was 57.6%. Conclusions: Surgery for NET-related heart valve disease is associated with relatively low risk of early mortality and morbidity, but in this series more than half of patients have died at 3-year.