Cardiac fibroma presenting as sudden death in a six-month-old infant

ABSTRACT

Cardiac fibroma is a rare benign tumour which occurs predominantly in infancy and childhood. We present the case of a six-month-old female infant who died suddenly at home and was found at autopsy to have a large cardiac fibroma in the ventricular septum. The tumor was apparently asymptomatic although there was evidence of mild cardiac failure. Death was thought to be due to a fatal arrhythmia.