title: Sudden death due to obstruction of coronary artery ostium by aortic valve papillary fibroelastoma.
abstract: Papillary fibroelastomas are rare endocardial growths that most commonly occur on the cardiac valves. Whether papillary fibroelastomas represent true neoplasms, hamartomas, or degenerative changes is debatable. Whatever their origin, papillary fibroelastomas have a characteristic gross and microscopic appearance, are usually solitary, and are almost always incidental findings at autopsy or during cardiac surgery. We report a case of sudden death caused by occlusion of the right coronary artery ostium by a papillary fibroelastoma of the aortic valve. We discuss the gross and microscopic features, differential diagnosis, and etiology and pathogenesis of this rare and interesting cardiac lesion.
authors.affiliation: Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Pathology, Dallas 75235, USA.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Prahlow
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Barnard
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000473:pathology; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D005350:Fibroma / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans