Cardiac myxoma
Ávalos-García, Yuritzi; Villalba-Hernández, Gerardo U; Flores-Méndez, Elio T; Morelos-Guzmán, Martha
ABSTRACT
Introduction: the most common primary cardiac tumors are myxomas, of which 75-85% are located in the left atrium and are prevalent in females. They may present with a triad of obstructive, embolism or constitutional symptoms.
Case presentation: this study presents the case of a patient who, two years before being diagnosed with a cardiac myxoma, presented dyspnea that subsided with the use of a beta-blocker. After a surgical intervention, the symptoms of heart failure were exacerbated, and an echocardiogram showed a mass covering most of the left atrium and protruding through the mitral valve.
Conclusion: the transthoracic echocardiogram is the first line of imaging for the diagnosis of myxoma. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides information on the location, size and characterization of the mass, in addition to helping the differential diagnosis with the presence of thrombus, essential data for the diagnosis approach and patient treatment.
