Left atrial myxoma and transient ischemic attack: case report.

Cardiac tumors are rare and myxomas are the most prevalent among them. Although it presents benign histology, they may be the cause of severe consequences due to intracardiac location. Nonspecific manifestations may hinder the diagnosis, which can lead to complications, such as changes in cardiac dynamics, thromboembolic events and death. This paper presents a case report of a patient in the emergency department of a high complexity hospital in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, with a clinical history of angina and 7 previous Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), besides aphasia, right hemiparesis, dysarthria, and mouth deviation. Submitted to transesophageal echocardiography, she was diagnosed with left atrial myxoma. For the treatment of myxoma, a surgical approach was used to resect the myxoma in the left atrium. The standard surgical approach was through a median sternotomy. Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) with aortic and bicaval cannulation and moderate hypothermia was used. Myocardial protection was achieved by cold antegrade blood cardioplegia. The patient had notable characteristics for the diagnosis, especially the previous occurrence of seven episodes of TIA. The importance of correct clinical investigation (anamnesis, general and specific physical examination and imaging tests) is notable and a fundamental tool for the diagnosis and early treatment of neoplasia, providing good clinical outcomes.