title: Limited excision of a right atrial lipoma.
abstract: A 67-year-old female presented with a 1-year history of exertional dyspnoea. Echocardiography showed a mass in the right atrium. Surgery revealed a lipoma on the interatrial septum, near the superior cavoatrial junction. This was excised leaving the atrial septum intact. Histopathology confirmed a benign lipoma. The patient improved symptomatically after surgery and no recurrence was seen after 1 year. These rare masses are the accumulation of mature adipose tissue, arising from the subepicardial layer. Due to benign pathology and slow growth, right atrial lipomas may be resected without interatrial septum resection, avoiding the potential complications of more radical surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, St George Hospital & the University of New South Wales, Gray Street, Kogarah, NSW 2217, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Kaushalendra S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Rathore
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Con
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Manganas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008067:Lipoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D014463:Ultrasonography