title: Primary cardiac fibroma in an infant: computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings.
abstract: Cardiac fibromas (CFs) are benign primary tumors that typically occur during childhood and may be asymptomatic. However, due to the proximity of CFs to the cardiac structure, significant morbidity and mortality may also be anticipated. CFs do not show spontaneous regression and surgical resection generally remains the treatment of choice for these tumors in children. Thus, it is important to take aggressive steps to obtain accurate pretreatment image diagnosis. A full-term male infant was presented to our facility suffering from shortness of breath, after an episode of upper respiratory tract infection at age 1.5 months. Subsequent chest X-ray revealed widening of the mediastinum and trachea deviation. Cardiogenic pathology was suspected. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were performed, and we confirmed a diagnosis of benign CF. Thoracotomy biopsy of the tumor confirmed the pathological diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Hsien-Tzu
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chui-Mei
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Tiu
authors.forename: Zen-Chung
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.forename: Yi-Hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Huai-Cheng
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Hsueh
authors.forename: Ming-Hsun
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Tse-Kai
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: Cheng-Yen
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D005350:Fibroma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: cardiac fibroma; computed tomography; magnetic resonance imaging