Cardiac Myxomas

Intracardiac myxomas are most commonly found in the left atrium. The tumor is typically pedunculated. The most common point of attachment is at the atrial septum in the region of the fossa ovalis. Once the diagnosis is made, the tumor is removed surgically. Follow up echocardiograms are performed to rule out recurrence. The references below reflect the different opinions on rate of recurrence.

The biplane image below displays the stalk and the tissue characteristics of the myxoma.

Selected References

1. King TW. On simple vascular growths in the left auricle of the heart. Lancet 1845; 2:428-9. (First description of a myxoma).
2. Effert S. Domanig E. Diagnostik intraaurikularer tumoren und grosser thromben mit dem ultraschall-echoverfahren. Dtsch Med Wochenschr 1959; 84:6-8. (First echocardiographic description of a myxoma).
3. Lane GE, Kapples EJ, Thompson RC, Grinton SF, Finck SJ. Quiescent left atrial myxoma. Am Heart J 1994;
4. Pochis WT, Wingo MW, Cinquegrani MP, Sagar KB. Echocardiographic demonstration of rapid growth of a left atrial myxoma. Am Heart J 1991; 122:1781-4.
5. Malekzadeh S, Roberts WC. Growth rate of left atrial myxoma. Am J Cardiol 1989; 64:1075-6.
6. Roudaut R, Gosse P, Dallocchio M. Rapid growth of a left atrial myxoma shown by echocardiography. Br Heart J 1987; 58:413-6. (Rate of growth using echocardiography)
7. Waller DA, Ettles DF, Saunders NR, Williams G. Recurrent cardiac myxoma: the surgical implications of two distinct groups of patients. Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1989, 37:226-30.
8. Gray IR, Williams WG. Recurring cardiac myxoma. Br Heart J 1985, 53:645-9. (Rate of recurrence - the reason for follow-up echocardiographic studies after myxoma resection)

Links to Genetics, Case Reports, Images, Pathology

• Myxoma at the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man web site.
• Pathological specimen at the University of Utah WebPath site.
• Atrial Myxoma eMedicine
• Right atrial myxoma from BrighamRAD in Harvard. Case presentation with MRI and pathology images.
• Changing management of cardiac myxoma based on a series of 40 cases with long-term follow-up Ann Thorac Surg
• Echocardiographic image of myxoma on the interatrial septum Images in Pediatric Cardiology

Transesophageal image demonstrating the typical pedunculated attachment to the interatrial septum of a left atrial myxoma.

Transthoracic apical view of a left atrial myxoma.

Biplane transesophageal view showing simultaneous transverse and longitudinal planes of a left atrial myxoma. The stalk is visible in the longitudinal plane.

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The contents and links on this page were last verified on July 3, 2006.