title: Rupture of cerebral myxomatous aneurysm months after resection of the primary cardiac tumor.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The natural history of cerebral aneurysms derived from metastatic spread of cardiac myxomas is not well known, and their management presents many dilemmas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case report and literature review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An 18-year-old man presented with an intraparenchymal hemorrhage several months after resection of an atrial myxoma. Angiography showed several myxomatous aneurysms, one of which had bled. The patient had a recurrent hemorrhage before undergoing surgical resection. MRI, angiographic, and pathological data are presented for this rare condition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Myxomatous aneurysms are important entities for neurointensivists to recognize and can present years after diagnosis. Patients presenting with cerebral infarction or hemorrhage of unknown etiology should undergo cardiac imaging to rule out atrial myxoma, as up to 50% of patients with myxomas present initially with stroke.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 251 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Eddleman
authors.forename: Numa R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Gottardi-Littell
authors.forename: Bernard R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Bendok
authors.forename: H Hunt
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Batjer
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Bernstein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009232:Myxoma / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*