Echocardiography as the first diagnostic clue to rapidly progressive systemic AL amyloidosis secondary to a plasma cell myeloma associated with multiple site thrombosis. A case report

Abstract

AL-amyloidosis is a rare but complex disease, with a severe prognosis, cardiac involvement being found in half of the patients. The rapid increase of the LV wall thickness predicts an unfavorable evolution. We report the case of a 63-year-old man diagnosed with AL-amyloidosis, with cardiac involvement, secondary to a plasma cell myeloma associated with multiple site thrombosis. Specific echocardiographic methods such as tissue Doppler imaging and speckle tracking provided crucial diagnostic and prognostic information.