title: Intracardiac tumor: a risk factor for stroke in the young--a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stroke occurs commonly in individuals above 65 years, especially in the background of atherosclerosis and other risk factors. In young persons below 45 years it is a rare disorder with devastating sequelae on the affected individual.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Presently there are few reports on the aetiology/risk factors for stroke in young adults in Nigeria. This is due to limited facility for thorough investigation; therefore management of such cases poses a diagnostic challenge. In this report we present a case of embolic stroke in a male undergraduate that began with two brief episodes of transient left sided weakness before a completed stroke four hours later. 2-D echocardiography showed that the likely source of emboli to be a non-pedunculated left atria tumour attached to the root of posterior mitral valve leaflet.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intracardiac mass should be considered a possible risk factor for ischemic stroke in young adult, especially in the absence of other risk factors such as connective tissue disorders, HIV/AIDS, hemoglobinopathy or use of recreational drugs. High index of suspicion is required in order not to overlook such source of emboli. Early diagnosis offers the best panacea for a definitive therapy and prevention of stroke recurrence with its devastating sequelae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Kwara State. emanuelosanya@yahoo.com
authors.forename: E O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Sanya
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Kolo
authors.forename: U G
authors.initials: UG
authors.lastname: Adamu
authors.forename: O G
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: Opadijo
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Wahab
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Mustapha
authors.forename: A B O
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Omotoso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004452:Echocardiography; D006325:Heart Atria; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D020766:Intracranial Embolism / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D009232:Myxoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*