title: Heart neoplasms in children: retrospective analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The advancement of noninvasive imaging methods has resulted in the increase in diagnosis of heart neoplasms. However, the literature has few studies involving primary cardiac neoplasms in children.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To retrospectively review cases of primary heart neoplasms in children, considering the initial clinical manifestations, diagnostic tests used, surgical indication, histopathological types and immediate postoperative course.
  
  
  METHODS
  The retrospective study was based on the assessment of medical records from 1983 to 2011. Only cases that were referred for surgical treatment during that period were included. Age at admission, prenatal diagnosis, family history, initial symptoms and the results of performed tests were assessed. Moreover, the date and indication of the surgery, intraoperative findings, the result of the histopathological analysis, as well as the immediate postoperative complications were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 18 patients studied, the most frequent clinical manifestations were dyspnea and heart murmur (7 and 6 patients, respectively); the most often used adjunct diagnostic method was echocardiography (18 patients); cavitary obstruction or ventricular inflow or outflow tract obstruction was the main indication for surgery (12 cases); the most common histological profile was rhabdomyoma (7 patients) and most patients showed good clinical outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, imaging diagnosis was basically attained through echocardiography, with good correlation with intraoperative findings. Histopathological findings were consistent with the literature, with rhabdomyoma being the most common neoplasm in children. The evolution after surgical treatment was favorable in most cases.
authors.affiliation: Instituto do Coração Unidade de Cirurgia Cardíaca Pediátrica, Hospital das Clínicas, FM, USP, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. juliano.penha@bol.com.br
authors.forename: Juliano Gomes
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Penha
authors.forename: Leina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zorzanelli
authors.forename: Antônio Augusto
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Barbosa-Lopes
authors.forename: Vera Demarchi
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Aiello
authors.forename: Vitor Oliveira
authors.initials: VO
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Luiz Fernando
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Caneo
authors.forename: Arlindo de Almeida
authors.initials: Ade A
authors.lastname: Riso
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tanamati
authors.forename: Edimar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Atik
authors.forename: Marcelo Biscegli
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Jatene
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012207:Rhabdomyoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome