title: Emergency surgery for acute mitral valve obstruction resulting from hemorrhage within a left atrial myxoma.
abstract: Left atrial myxomas are benign, slow-growing primary cardiac tumors. They present with gradual onset of one or more of a triad of obstructive, embolic, or constitutional symptoms. Transesophageal echocardiography aids in the detailed preoperative and intraoperative evaluation of the myxoma for surgical strategy planning. We describe a previously unreported case of interstitial hemorrhage in a left atrial myxoma leading to rapid expansion of the tumor with features of acute, mitral valve obstruction. Transesophageal echocardiography showed a cystic area in the left atrial tumor that corresponded to an area of recent hemorrhage confirmed on surgical removal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands. usonker@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Uday
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Sonker
authors.forename: Geoffrey T L
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Kloppenburg
authors.forename: Esther A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Knoop
authors.forename: Cornelis A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Seldenrijk
authors.forename: Wim J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Morshuis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D004638:Emergency Treatment; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006325:Heart Atria; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D009232:Myxoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome