Primary cardiac tumors in basrah, iraq : clinical and echocardiography study

Abstract EN

Backgrounds: Primary cardiac tumors are rare entities.

Although most of them are benign histopathologically, they are potentially fatal because they may cause sudden hemodynamic obstruction.

Objectives: To document the cases in our hospital including clinical findings, echocardiographic features, and prognosis.

Methods .

Ten patients with primary cardiac tumors were studied from February 1994 to March 2001.

Resulls; Eight were female and 2 were male.

All patients were in the age range from 22 to 59 years with an average of 40.4+/-10.9 years.

Myxoma was the most common tumor; it was found in 8 patients.

Seven were in the left atrium and 1 was in the right atrium.

Malignant pericardial mesothelioma was found in 1 patient.

Left ventricular angiosarcoma was found in 1 patient.

Presenting symptoms were nonspecific, and the diagnosis was not suspected in any of these patients prior to echocardiographic examination.

Dyspnea was the most common presenting symptom, present in 4 (40%) of the patients.

Stroke and cerebral embolization were found in 3 (30%) of the patients.

One patient presented with a picture mimicking acute pericarditis.

None of the patients studied survived more than 2 years without cardiac surgery.

Conclusion: Primary cardiac tumors vary in presentation.

Without complete surgical excision, these tumors carry high morbidity and mortality regardless of malignant properties.