[Cardiac myxoma in patients over 75 years of age. Report of 19 cases]. / Myxomes cardiaques chez le sujet âgé de plus de 75 ans. A propos de 19 observations.

Left atrial myxoma is considered to be exceptionally rare in the elderly. The authors observed and reported on 19 cases occurring in patients over 75 years of age out of a series of 100 myxomas diagnosed between 1962 and 1997, in 12 women and 7 men (mean age: 80 years, range 75 to 89 years). In 3 cases, the myxomas were chance findings at echocardiography but the 16 symptomatic patients (85%) had left ventricular failure (47%), positional symptoms (25%), pyrexia and poor general health (17%) or systemic embolism (17%). The location of the myxoma was the left atrium in all cases, with mitral valve obstruction in 13 of the 19 cases. Eighteen tumours were attached to the interatrial septum and one to the atrial surface of the anterior mitral leaflet. Calcifications were observed in 5 patients. Surgical ablation of the tumour was performed in 15 of the 19 patients. The post-operative course was usually uncomplicated: one patient died of a cerebral haemorrhage. Four patients did not undergo surgery because of patient refusal in 3 cases and major associated morbidity in the other case. These cases were included in the study because the tumours had all the characteristics of myxomas. Though the discovery of a myxoma remains a classical surgical emergency, the presence of quiescent, non-obstructive, well circumscribed and calcified myxomas with a low risk of obstruction and of embolism in elderly high risk patients may be exceptions to this traditional dogma.

[Cardiac involvements in scleroderma: study with echocardiography and cardiac Doppler in 38 patients]. / Atteintes cardiaques au cours des sclérodermies: étude en écho-cardiographie et Doppler cardiaque chez 38 patients.

A study of heart lesions has been conducted in 38 patients with systemic sclerosis using echocardiography, doppler and colour doppler. Abnormalities were found in 66% patients. Valvulopathies (mainly mitral regurgitation) were the most frequent lesions (45%). The presence of anti-SCL70 antibody was correlated to right cavities dilatation. Pulmonary hypertension was found in 6 patients.