title: Long-term follow-up of cardiac myxomas (7-31 years).
abstract: Between 1961 and 1985, 14 patients (9 males, 5 females; mean age 42.3 +/- 7.26 years) underwent surgery for excision of cardiac myxoma. Origin of the neoplasm was left atrium in all patients. In the last 7 cases diagnosis was obtained by echocardiographic examination. The clinical manifestations were dyspnea in 8 cases, palpitation in 5 and neurological symptoms in 3. One patient with concomitant mitral and aortic incompetence died on the 13th postoperative day because of low-output syndrome. All 13 operative survivors are alive and well without echocardiographic evidence of neoplastic recurrence at a follow-up ranging from 7 to 31 years. These results indicate a low incidence of recurrence with a complete tumor excision even without its extension to the normal atrial endocardium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University G. D'Annunzio, Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Actis Dato
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Benedictis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Actis Dato
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sommariva
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Paulis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006325:Heart Atria; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D006346:Heart Septum; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009232:Myxoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors