title: Unusual course of right atrial myxoma, masked by acute abdominal pain, and complicated by pulmonary embolus.
abstract: In a 17-year-old youth, exploratory laparotomy for acute abdominal pain was complicated by circulatory arrest related to pulmonary embolism. Echocardiography after resuscitation revealed a hitherto "silent" right atrial myxoma, fragmentation of which had blocked the right atrioventricular ostium, causing the pain. Operation was successful. As only a few similar cases have been reported, pulmonary embolism due to fragmentation of a right atrial myxoma may account for some unexplained sudden deaths beyond medical help.
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Surgery Department, Medical University of Lodz, Dr S. Sterling's Hospital, Poland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bitner
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jaszewski
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wojtasik
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zaslonka
mesh_terms: D000006:Abdomen, Acute / Q000209:etiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D004452:Echocardiography; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000209:etiology; D006325:Heart Atria; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D009232:Myxoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000209:etiology*