Atrial myxoma is a rare primary tumour of the heart that typically arises from the left atrium. Patients typically present with obstructive symptoms such as dyspnoea, but constitutional and embolic symptoms can be seen as well. Gastrointestinal symptoms in the absence of embolisation are rarely reported in the literature. Our case presents a 55-year-old female who was found to have a large left atrial myxoma after presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms, which resolved upon resection of the tumour. This case illustrates that atrial myxomas can have an atypical presentation with gastrointestinal symptoms, which could be related to inflammation of gastric mucosa from interleukin-6 produced by the tumour cells. Careful history-taking followed by early detection and prompt treatment is important as atrial myxomas can lead to potentially devastating complications.
CONCLUSIONS: Atrial myxomas are primary tumours of the heart that can present with a wide spectrum of symptoms.Early consideration and recognition of atypical presentations of atrial myxomas can be crucial in preventing serious consequences such as cardiac arrest.

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Sudden cardiac death is a phenomenon that affects more than 200,000 individuals annually in the United States. Among sudden cardiac deaths, only a fractionally small portion is thought to be attributable to intracardiac neoplasms. Though rarely implicated as the primary cause of death, cardiac myxomas are the most common benign neoplasms of the heart and have been known to cause death due to multifactorial embolic events, fatal arrhythmias, and frank obstructive events. In this case, a healthy, asymptomatic young male was found unresponsive in his residence. Examination of the heart at autopsy revealed dilation of the right atrium and a large, hemorrhagic, irregular, and obstructing mass arising from the right atrium, consistent with cardiac myxoma. When unusual cardiac findings are discovered at autopsy, a systematic investigation of the heart, including retaining the organ for cardiac pathology consultation, is mandatory to correctly identify the cause of death.

Atrial myxomas are benign primary cardiac tumors. They can present with nonspecific symptoms, ranging from constitutional symptoms and embolic phenomena such as transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) or strokes to sudden cardiac death. Early diagnosis may be a challenge due to the nonspecific presentation of atrial myxoma. A high degree of suspicion is needed in patients with TIA having no known cardiovascular risk factors. Although benign, if left untreated, it can lead to serious complications ranging from embolic phenomena and obstructive symptoms to sudden cardiac death. An echocardiogram is of fundamental importance in diagnosing atrial myxoma, and surgical resection is the ultimate treatment of choice. Here, we discuss a case of TIA as the initial presentation of atrial myxoma.

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Cardiac tumours are uncommon in the general population and even more so in the paediatric population. Here we present a case of an asymptomatic 7-year-old male with history of high-risk neuroblastoma who underwent 1-year post-treatment surveillance scan with an incidental finding of intracardiac lesion found to be an atrial myxoma.

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The purpose of this report is to demonstrate robotic cryoablation of an atrial myxoma stalk as a method to prevent recurrence and preserve atrial tissue. A 38-year-old female patient was taken to the operating room, and an atrial myxoma abutting the left inferior pulmonary vein was resected robotically. This was followed by cryoablation of the tumor stalk instead of a full-thickness resection to prevent an extensive reconstruction. The operation resulted in the successful resection of an atrial myxoma with minimal length of stay. Follow-up at 3 months has shown no evidence of residual or recurrent tumor. Follow-up at 1 year is planned. Cryoablation of an atrial myxoma stalk, when resection would require complex reconstruction, is a useful tool in the armamentarium of a minimally invasive cardiac surgeon.

Cortical lesions (CLs) detected with double inversion recovery (DIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are very helpful in differentiating multiple sclerosis (MS) from other neuroinflammatory diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), that is, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSDs). Furthermore, CLs are closely related to motor and cognitive impairment. We report a case of a 48-year-old female MS patient who developed several CLs during anti-CD20 therapy. Some CLs disappeared during follow-up MRIs. In the suspicion of a treatment failure, the screening for the autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (AHSCT) was performed with the evidence of an atrial myxoma. In MS patients with new CLs, a comorbid ischemic pathology should be considered and carefully investigated.

Generally, cardiac masses are initially suspected on routine echocardiography. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is further performed to differentiate tumors from pseudo-tumors and to characterize the cardiac masses based on their appearance on T1/T2-weighted images, detection of perfusion and demonstration of gadolinium-based contrast agent uptake on early and late gadolinium enhancement images. Further evaluation of cardiac masses by CMR is critical because unnecessary surgery can be avoided by better tissue characterization. Different cardiac tissues have different T1 and T2 relaxation times, principally owing to different internal biochemical environments surrounding the protons. In CMR, the signal intensity from a particular tissue depends on its T1 and T2 relaxation times and its proton density. CMR uses this principle to differentiate between various tissue types by weighting images based on their T1 or T2 relaxation times. Generally, tumor cells are larger, edematous, and have associated inflammatory reactions. Higher free water content of the neoplastic cells and other changes in tissue composition lead to prolonged T1/T2 relaxation times and thus an inherent contrast between tumors and normal tissue exists. Overall, these biochemical changes create an environment where different cardiac masses produce different signal intensity on their T1- weighted and T2- weighted images that help to discriminate between them. In this review article, we have provided a detailed description of the core CMR imaging protocol for evaluation of cardiac masses. We have also discussed the basic features of benign cardiac tumors as well as the role of CMR in evaluation and further tissue characterization of these tumors.