Cardiac rhabdomyoma.
Primary tumors of the heart are exceedingly rare with a prevalence rate of around 0.01% in autopsy studies. A majority of primary cardiac tumors are benign. Rhabdomyomas are the most common of benign pediatric cardiac tumors. A newborn female infant presented with perioral cyanosis and respiratory distress. She deteriorated progressively. The infant expired, and at autopsy, dissection of the heart revealed a large tumor mass in the interventricular septum. Histologically, the mass showed the classic "spider cells," and a diagnosis of cardiac rhabdomyoma of childhood was established.
Amonkar
Gayathri P
GP
T.N. Medical College, Bombay Central, Mumbai 400 008, India. gpamonkar@hotmail.com
Kandalkar
Bhuvaneshvari M
BM
Balasubramanian
Meenakshi
M
D003490:Cyanosis / Q000209:etiology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000209:etiology; D012207:Rhabdomyoma / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*