title: Clinical analysis and surgical results of cardiac myxoma in pediatric patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiac myxoma, the most common primary tumor in the adult, is less often encountered in infants and children. We reviewed our series of children with cardiac myxoma over a 22-year period and present the long-term results of surgical resection of the tumor.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 1985 to December 2006, 15 children between the ages of 5 months and 14 years (mean age, 6.5 years) with cardiac myxoma were reviewed. Follow-up information from every patient was obtained from outpatient records and direct patient contact.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cardiac signs appeared in 86.7% of the patients. Most myxomas originated from the left atrium. There was no operative death. No patients were lost to follow-up, and the mean follow-up was 9.6 years. There were no late deaths during the follow-up. To date, 13 of 15 operative survivors were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class I without medication and the other 2 were in class II. All patients demonstrated sinus rhythm and no child required reexcision of tumor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our clinical experience showed surgical resection was a safe and effective treatment for cardiac myxoma in pediatric patients and the risk of recurrence was low during the long term follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Nanjing Children's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China. pumcwu@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Kai Hong
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Xu Ming
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.forename: Ying Long
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced; D007223:Infant; D009232:Myxoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome