Cardiac myxoma was detected by transthoracic echocardiography in 8 patients (aged 11 to 64 years) who were admitted between 1991 and 1999 with stroke or transient ischemic attacks, representing 80% of the total myxoma cases treated in this period. All patients underwent surgery and the myxomas were successfully removed. There were no recurrences during a mean follow-up of 3.1 years. In the presence of unexplained transient ischemic attack, cerebral infarction, or syncope, this relatively rare cardiac lesion should be suspected and investigated by transthoracic echocardiography.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
StrausRMerlissR. Primary tumor of the heart. Arch Pathol1945;39: 74–8.
2.
HeathD. Pathology of cardiac tumors. Am J Cardiol1968;21: 315–27.
3.
WoldLELieJT. Cardiac myxomas: A clinicopathologic profile. Am J Pathol1980;101: 219–40.
4.
SchanzUSchneiderJ. Endokardmyxome: Neue Aspekte zur Histopathogenese. Schweiz Med Wochenschr. 1984;114: 850–7.
5.
PetersMNHallRJCooleyDALeachmanRDGarciaE. The clinical syndrome of atrial myxoma. JAMA1974;230: 695–701.
6.
SirnaSBillerJSkortonDSeaboldJ. Cardiac evaluation of the patient with stroke. Stroke1990;21: 14–23.
7.
Cerebral Embolism Task Force (1989). Cardiogenic brain embolism: The second report of the Cerebral Embolism Task Force. Arch Neurol1989;46: 727–43.
8.
SybersHDBoakeWC. Coronary and retinal embolism from left atrial myxoma. Arch Pathol1971;91: 179–82.
9.
WrisleyDRosenbergJGiambartolomeiALevyITurielloCAntoniniT. Left ventricular myxoma discovered incidentally by echocardiography. Am Heart J1991;121: 1554–5.
10.
BlondeauP. Primary cardiac tumors. French studies of 533 cases. Thorac Cardiovasc Surg1990;38 (Suppl 2): 192–5.
11.
ReynenK. Cardiac myxomas. New Engl J Med1995;24: 1610–7.
12.
SellkeFWLemmerJHJrVandenbergBFEhrenhaftJL. Surgical treatment of cardiac myxomas: Long-term results. Ann Thorac Surg1990;50: 557–61.
13.
ShimonoTMakinoSKanamoriYKinoshitaTYadaI. Left atrial myxomas. Using gross anatomic tumor types to determine clinical features and coronary angiographic findings. Chest1995;107: 674–9.
14.
BortolottiUMaraglinoGRubinoMSantiniFMazzuccoAMilanoA. Surgical excision of intracardiac myxomas: A 20-year follow-up. Ann Thorac Surg1990;49: 449–53.
15.
BurtonCJohnstonJ. Multiple cerebral aneurysms and cardiac myxoma. N Engl J Med1970;282: 35–6.
16.
FarahMG. Familial cardiac myxoma: A study of relatives of patients with myxoma. Chest1994;105: 65–8.
17.
YufeRKarpatiGCarpenterS. Cardiac myxoma: A diagnostic challenge for the neurologist. Neurology1976;26: 1060–5.
18.
RoeltgenDPWeimerGRPattersonLF. Delayed neurologic complications of left atrial myxoma. Neurology1981;31: 8–13.
19.
LeeRJBartzokisTYeohTKGroginHRChoiDSchnittgerI. Enhanced detection of intracardiac sources of cerebral emboli by transesophageal echocardiography. Stroke1991;22: 734–9.
20.
ReichmanHRombergHRHofmannEBeckerTMertnesHG. Neurological long-term follow-up in left atrial myxoma: Are late complications frequent or rare?J Neurol1992;239: 170–4.
