Images in cardiology: recurrent myxoma of the right ventricle

New Onset Cardiac Murmur and Exertional Dyspnea in an Apparently Healthy Child: A Rare Localization of Obstructive Myxoma in the Right Ventricle Outflow Tract without Pulmonary Embolization-A Case Report and Literature Review

Myxomas are slowly growing benign neoplasms which are rare in children. Up to 80% can be located in the left atrium and generate symptoms such as embolism, cardiac failure, fever and weight loss. Rarely, myxomas can be detected in the right ventricle outflow tract, causing arrhythmias, pulmonary emboli and sudden death. We report the case of a 13-year-old healthy child brought to the Emergency Department (ED) of the Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome, for recent dyspnea, chest pain on exertion and new onset cardiac murmur. Patient underwent medical examination and echocardiogram with the finding of a rounded and lobulated voluminous mass in the right ventricle outflow tract (RVOT) which caused severe obstruction. The contrast computed tomography (CT) scan confirmed the presence of a heterogeneously enhancing soft-tissue mass occupying the RVOT with no evidence of pulmonary embolization. The mass was surgically excised, and the pathologic examination confirmed our suspicion of myxoma. Our experience suggests that myxoma can have mild clinical symptoms, the presentation may be non-specific, and diagnosis can be a challenge Careful examination and a diagnostic imaging workup, primarily with the transthoracic echocardiogram, are needful to make a rapid differential diagnosis and to better manage surgical treatment and follow-up.

Pulmonary Embolism Following Incomplete Surgical Resection of a Right Ventricular Myxoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Right ventricular (RV) myxomas are extremely rare, but may have dreadful clinical sequelae including pulmonary embolism (PE). We present a case of a patient who had an RV myxoma that was attached to the tricuspid valve, and therefore could not be resected completely during surgery, and remnants of the tumor were seen on transthoracic echocardiogram during post-operative follow-up. Five months after surgery, the patient had PE, which could be due to tumor emboli or thromboemboli. Since repeat surgical resection was not feasible, the patient was started on warfarin. The patient is doing well and has had no PE recurrence over the past 20 months of follow-up. We have complemented the current case report with a comprehensive literature search and review on RV myxomas associated with PE in order to shed light on this uncommon but potentially lethal disorder. We concluded that right-sided cardiac myxomas, including RV myxomas, should be considered while dealing with PE, particularly in young patients with no risk factors, and that follow-up with echocardiography after surgery is important due to the possibility of recurrence, especially if complete resection was difficult to perform.

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A rare case of right ventricular myxoma causing recurrent stroke

We present a 62-year-old lady admitted in our hospital with two episodes of acute ischemic stroke about 2 weeks apart. She was evaluated for acute ischemic stroke and was thrombolysed for recent stroke in right MCA territory first time. On further evaluation, she was found to have a RVOT mass. A transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiogram revealed a PFO and a large, 5.1 cm × 2.3 cm, ovoid, well circumscribed, echogenic mass in the right ventricle outflow tract attached by small pedicle to the ventricular side of anterior tricuspid leaflet, partly obstructing the right ventricular outflow tract and protruding through the pulmonic valve during systole. She was scheduled for surgery (right ventricular mass excision and PFO closure) after 3 weeks due to the risk of secondary hemorrhage in the infarcted area following thrombolysis and anticoagulation and so was discharged with medications after full neurologic recovery after about a week of hospital stay.

She was readmitted 7 days after discharge, before the scheduled date of surgery with history of weakness of right upper limb, slurred speech and mild breathing difficulty lasting for about 20 min following which she improved slowly (transient ischemic attack). The tumor was completely removed with the stalk using cardiopulmonary bypass support. The histopathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of myxoma.