January - March 2011, Volume 7, Issue 1

Thoufeeq M, Ishtiaq J, Enaganti S, Pothina N, Kahal H, Malik M, Gan C

Ovarian Carcinoid, a Rare Cause of Hypoxia in the Medical Unit

Acta Endo (Buc) 2011, 7 (1): 89-94
doi: 10.4183/aeb.2011.89

A 74 year old lady presented with difficulty in breathing and hypoxia. She was initially treated as pulmonary embolism\r\n(PE). However, confirmatory tests did not suggest the diagnosis of PE. Further tests gave the diagnosis of an ovarian carcinoid presenting with shortness of breath and\r\nhypoxia. After an initial treatment with Octreotide, she underwent salpingooophorectomy. She became asymptomatic and made an uneventful recovery. Ovarian carcinoids can\r\nproduce carcinoid syndrome without the presence of hepatic metastases. Here we provide a short review on ovarian carcinoids.

Keywords: Ovary, carcinoids, hypoxia, right heart failure

Correspondence: Muhammed Thoufeeq, Diana Princess of Wales Hospital - Medicine, Scartho Road, Grimsby DN33 2BA, United Kingdom, Email: mo.thoufeeq@gmail.com