Clinical Observation of Cardiac Myxoma

ABSTRACT

Cardiac myxoma is rare and has protean clinical manifestations mimicking various disease. Unless clinician has a high index of suspicion, the diagnosis can be easil missed. However diagnosis is all the more important since surgery can be dramatically successful, where as untreated myxoma invariably leads to death. Cardiac myxoma accounts for 50% of primary cardiac tumor and mainly originates in left atrium.(75%). The features of myxoma can be described under the three headings Constitutional, obstructive, and embolic. From 1977 to 1985, the authors have experienced 30 cases of cardiac myxoma, one of which recurred. Of 29 patients, 8 were male and 21 were female. Their ages ranged from 11 to 55 years with average of 39.8 years. Constitutional manifestation was found in 25 of the 27 patients, obstructive manifestation in 27, and embolic phenomenon in 5. The diagnosis of myxoma was made on the basis of 2-D echocardiography. The sensitivity was 100%. Except 1 case who refused operation, all received surgical treatment. Immediate postoperative complication occurred in 6 patients(23%). Among them serious complication could be found only in 2 cases(7.7%). During long term follow up there was one recurrence and one patient with right ventricular myxoma has tricuspid regurgitation. In other cases, we could not found any problems.