[Left atrial myxoma with severe neovascularization: role of preoperative coronary angiography]

Abstract

Cardiac myxomas are highly vascular tumors and there is no consensus on the use of coronary angiography to assess their vascularity. A 64-year-old male patient presented with complaints of exertional dyspnea, fatigue, arthralgia, weight loss, intermittent high fever, and palpitation. He had an 18-month history of stent implantation for the left anterior descending coronary artery. Echocardiography showed a mobile mass in the left atrium with regular contours. Coronary angiography was performed with the initial diagnosis of myxoma and vascular supply of the tumor by the proximal branches of the right coronary artery (RCA) was visualized. Re-evaluation of previous angiograms of the patient showed existence of the same mass, in significantly smaller size, and supply from the RCA. The mass which was 5.5x1x0.5 cm in size was removed by surgical resection and the branches of the RCA supplying the tumor were ligated. Histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis. During 20 months of follow-up, the patient was asymptomatic and echocardiographic examinations were normal.