Atrial myxoma in a primigravida presenting as Raynaud’s phenomenon

Abstract

A 32-year-old primigravida at 8 weeks of gestation presented with gangrene of both great toe for 10 days. Two years back, she had an episode of Raynaud's phenomenon involving left ring finger diagnosed as primary Raynaud's phenomenon and was treated with nifedipine following which she improved. In the following months, she had 2-3 similar episodes of Raynaud's phenomenon in the upper extremity which were less severe. On diagnostic evaluation she was found to have an intra cardiac mass arising from mitral leaflet. We present a case of atrial myxoma initially presenting as an isolated Raynaud's phenomenon with a long asymptomatic period before the next clinical manifestation which to our knowledge is the first such report.

April 2023 Medical Image of the Month: Atrial Myxoma in the setting of Raynaud’s Phenomenon: Early Echocardiography and Management of Thrombotic Disease

“…Rarely, RP has been described as the primary presenting symptom of atrial myxoma (4,5), underscoring the utility of maintaining a high degree of suspicion when symptomatology coexists. RP is a vascular response to stress or cold temperature that appears as color changes in the digits (6). Although primary RP has no known underlying etiology, it is more commonly seen in female patients with a history of smoking, migraine headaches, and cardiovascular disease (6).…”

“…RP is a vascular response to stress or cold temperature that appears as color changes in the digits (6). Although primary RP has no known underlying etiology, it is more commonly seen in female patients with a history of smoking, migraine headaches, and cardiovascular disease (6). This is in contrast to secondary RP, which presents in patient with an underlying autoimmune rheumatic disease including, but not limited, to Systemic Sclerosis, Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Sjogren's Syndrome, and hematologic disorders such as Cryoglobulinemia, Cold Agglutinins Disease, and Paraproteinemia (7).…”