A Case of Bilateral Atrial Myxoma

ABSTRACT

As is well known, myxoma of the heart is very rare(incidence 0.03%), constituting nearly 50% of all primary cardiac tumors. It is important because it can be abolished by surgical removal but usually fatal if unrecognized or untreated. Recently a wider use of echocardiogram as the screening test of valve lesions can be expected to increase the number of myxomas found preoperatively. We have experienced a case of bilateral atrial myxoma which simulated mitral valvular disease clinically and had typical three cardinal manifestations such as obstructive, embolic and constitutional symptoms. The patients was 39 years old woman. The left atrial myxoma was diagnosed preoperatively by echocardiography and cardiac angiography and the remainder during open heart surgery under the E.C.C. Both of them were removed successfuly and confirmed as typical myxoma microscopically. This is the first case report of bilateral atrial myxoma in Korea to our knowledge.