Cardiac myxoma. Clinical and pathologic features in 15 cases.

Neoplasms are rare cardiac findings of which myxomas comprise about 75%. We report of 15 patients, predominantly female (60%) with a mean age of 58.8 years. Male patients (40%) were 20 years younger on average. 80% of these tumors developed in the left atrium fixed to the atrial septum. In 2 patients the right ventricle and in 1 patient the right atrium was involved. No left ventricular or bilateral tumors were found. Clinical findings showed a great variety of symptoms. Often misdiagnosis was established until echocardiography was performed. Major symptoms were dyspnea (80%), elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (73%), arrhythmias (53%), lung edema (47%), embolization (40%) and anemia (40%). Pathological examination and tumor genesis are still in discussion. Several theories are reported in literature: a true thrombus, thrombus organization with malignant potential, true neoplasms as well as a familiar myxoma complex may explain clinical and histological features. Our findings did not confirm only one theory but emphasize different possibilities.