Primary cardiac valve tumors.
To assess the prevalence, characteristics, and outcome of surgical treatment of primary cardiac valve tumors in a single center, we reviewed our experience in 6 women and 1 man, aged 49 to 76 years (mean, 64.7 years) who presented between 1999 and 2006. In one patient, the diagnosis of cardiac valve tumor was made incidentally on transesophageal echocardiography during aortocoronary bypass surgery. The others had clinical symptoms: angina or myocardial infarction in 3, congestive heart failure in 2, dyspnea and cerebrovascular ischemia in 1 patient each. Four of the 7 tumors were benign, and 3 were malignant. All patients survived the operation and recovered uneventfully. Midterm follow-up was available in all patients. Two patients with malignant tumors were considered unsuitable for adjuvant therapy by the oncologist; both died during follow-up from local tumor recurrence. All 5 survivors were categorized at the last follow-up as functional class I, with normal exercise tolerance. Excellent early and midterm surgical results can be obtained in patients with benign cardiac valve tumors, but the prognosis for those with a malignant tumor is poor.
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petah Tiqwa and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. georgios_georghiou@cytanet.com.cy
Georgios P
GP
Georghiou
Bernardo A
BA
Vidne
Gideon
G
Sahar
Erez
E
Sharoni
Avi
A
Fuks
Eyal
E
Porat
D000368:Aged; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D006351:Heart Valves / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D015995:Prevalence; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome