Abstract | BACKGROUND: Thirty-five patients with an intracardiac myxoma underwent excision of the tumor in Hawaii between 1974 and 1993. PATIENTS AND METHODS: There were 28 female and 7 male patients in the group. Their ages ranged from 11 to 79 years (mean 48) with the majority (71%) between 30 and 60 years old. The patients' medical records were reviewed and special attention was paid to clinical presentation, methods of diagnosis, operative findings, and postoperative course. RESULTS: No ethnic predisposition was found. Forty-six percent of the presenting symptoms were cardiac (congestive heart failure 26%, palpitations 14%, and syncope 6%) while arterial embolization accounted for 11%. Diagnosis was made by angiography, echocardiography, or gated cardiac blood pool imaging. All were reliable, but two-dimensional (2-D) echocardiography was used most often, with no false-positive or false-negative results. There were 32 left atrial, 2 right atrial, and 1 biatrial myxomas. Limited septectomy was performed in most cases, but 9 patients (26%) required Dacron patch repair of the atrial septum. There was 1 death from a cerebrovascular accident the day after the removal of a left-sided atrial myxoma. Other patients had few minor postoperative complications. One patient presented with a recurrence 8 years after resection at another institution; no further recurrences were found. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that due to the non-specific presentation of atrial myxoma, a high index of suspicion is needed. The diagnostic method of choice is 2-D echocardiography. Limited septectomy is a safe procedure, but close follow-up for at least 10 years may be needed to rule out recurrence.
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Authors | S Premaratne, N W Hasaniya, H Y Arakaki, M M Mugiishi, R T Mamiya, J J McNamara |
Journal | American journal of surgery
(Am J Surg)
Vol. 169
Issue 6
Pg. 600-3
(Jun 1995)
ISSN: 0002-9610 [Print] United States |
PMID | 7771624
(Publication Type: Journal Article)
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Topics |
- Adolescent
- Adult
- Aged
- Angiography
- Child
- Echocardiography
- Electrocardiography
- Female
- Follow-Up Studies
- Gated Blood-Pool Imaging
- Hawaii
- Heart Atria
- Heart Neoplasms
(diagnosis, surgery)
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Myxoma
(diagnosis, surgery)
- Physical Examination
- Postoperative Complications
- Predictive Value of Tests
- Prognosis
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