title: The modern diagnosis of cardiac myxoma: role of two-dimensional echocardiography.
abstract: We reviewed our experience with the diagnosis of cardiac myxoma in 10 patients seen between 1960 and 1981. At surgery, large myxomas (greater than 5 cm) were found in the left atrium in 6 patients, right atrium in 3, and right ventricle in 1. The correct preoperative diagnosis was made in 9 patients: clinically in 3 and at catheterization and angiocardiography in 6. Diagnoses were falsely negative in 3/13 (23%) catheterizations and 2/10 (20%) angiocardiograms. Echocardiography (echo) was positive in 5/5 (100%). Gated blood-pool scans confirmed a right atrial myxoma in 1 patient. The interval between onset of symptoms and surgery was 30.5 months, (range, 2-120) and was not significantly different in the eras before and after echo. The age at diagnosis exceeded 40 years in 9 patients and was not significantly less in the echo era. The size and site of the tumor at surgery agreed with findings on M-mode echo (n=5) or two-dimensional (2-D) echo (n=2), but the size (85 vs. 88 cm3) and mass (81 vs. 88 g) of the tumors were similar in the 2 eras. Although 2-D echo facilitates the preoperative diagnosis of cardiac myxoma, earlier patient referral of suspicious cases for 2-D echo is still necessary.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000790:Angiocardiography; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D004452:Echocardiography; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009232:Myxoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013670:Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m; D013667:Technetium; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D013667:Technetium; D013670:Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m