title: Giant left atrial myxoma causing drop attacks by prolapsing into the mitral valve.
abstract: Atrial myxoma is the most common primary cardiac tumor. Its clinical presentation varies greatly from asymptomatic incidental mass to serious life-threatening cardiovascular complications. We herein describe the clinicopathological and imaging features of a huge left atrial myxoma protruding into the left ventricle during diastole and obstructing diastolic filling of the left ventricle thus causing drop attacks by prolapsing into the mitral valve. The patient (a 56-year-old female) underwent emergency surgery with complete removal of a 74 g weighing myxoma from the left atrium. She recovered without any complications. Awareness of this uncommon acute presentation of atrial myxoma is necessary for timely diagnosis and prompt surgical intervention to avoid irreversible cardiovascular complications.
authors.affiliation: Center of Cardiac Surgery, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany. thomas.strecker@uk-erlangen.de
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Strecker
authors.forename: Abbas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agaimy
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000473:pathology; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008945:Mitral Valve Prolapse / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D009232:Myxoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013575:Syncope / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D047368:Tumor Burden
keywords: Cardiac tumors; computed tomography; echocardiography; myxoma; pathology; surgery