Embolic atrial myxoma causing aortic and carotid occlusion.
BACKGROUND
Cardiac myxomas are a rare but well-described cause of stroke that usually occur in young people. Cardiac myxoma can embolize to multiple sites throughout the body.


METHODS
A 45-year-old woman presented acutely with altered mental status and signs of lower extremity vascular occlusion. Pathologic studies confirmed the diagnosis of cardiac myxoma.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first case reported in the English literature of simultaneous aortic and internal carotid artery occlusion from embolism of an atrial myxoma without evidence of intracardiac tumor on transesophageal echocardiogram.
Binning
Mandy J
MJ
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA.
Sarfati
Mark R
MR
Couldwell
William T
WT
D001011:Aorta; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009232:Myxoma / Q000473:pathology*; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000473:pathology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology*