title: Retinal artery occlusion by left atrial myxoma misdiagnosed as thrombus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Left atrial mass has been known to have a benign course.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 55-year-old Asian woman visited to our hospital because of right sided hemiparesis and sudden vision loss in her left eye. She diagnosed as acute cerebral infarction and central retinal artery occlusion by several studies. We detected a large mass in the left atrium and thought this mass as thrombus causing multiple emboli. But her neurologic symptom was aggrevated during therapy and coronary computed tomography angiogram suggested a left atrial myxoma, not thrombus. She underwent the resection of the myxoma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sometimes it could be fatal because it could be source of systemic embolization. Moreover, when the mass is located at unusual site, it is difficult to differentiate thrombus and other benign mass.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We report a patient with a left atrial mass initially presented as multiple embolic infarction. Our case will let ophthalmologists know about the possibility of retinal artery occlusion by cardiac myxoma.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Pohang St. Mary's Hospital, Pohang, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong-Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, College of Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Banpo-daero 222, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 137-701 Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ho-Joong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Youn
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, College of Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Banpo-daero 222, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 137-701 Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Mi-Hyang
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Pohang St. Mary's Hospital, Pohang, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chang-Yul
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Pohang St. Mary's Hospital, Pohang, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: So-Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Pohang St. Mary's Hospital, Pohang, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Woo-Hyun
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Pohang St. Mary's Hospital, Pohang, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jong-Hun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Pohang St. Mary's Hospital, Pohang, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yong-Seok
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Pohang St. Mary's Hospital, Pohang, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyo Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Hyun
keywords: Cardiac myxoma; Retinal artery occlusion; Thrombus; Visual loss