Clinical Features of Left Atrial Myxoma

Left Atrial Myxoma Diagnosed By Ultrasound Cardiography

“…As angiocardiography is not performed in all patients with mitral valve disease,6 atrial myxoma may still be found unexpectedly and may cause serious and even fatal complications at cardiac catheterization or at surgery. [7][8][9][10][11][12] Ultrasound cardiography is an atraumatic method of special diagnostic value in mitral valve diEease.13-2o Edlerl3 found multiple echoes caused by a thrombus in the left atrium, and similar findings have been reported in patients with atrial tumors. [21][22][23][24][25][26] The purpose of this paper is to report two patients in which ultrasound cardiogram preoperatively suggested the presence of a left atrial myxoma.…”

Primary sarcoma of the left atrium.

“…Not only do they simulate valvular disease of the heart, but they are sometimes accompanied by a non-specific syndrome of fever, anemia, clubbing of the fingers and toes, hemoptysis, and a raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). This may be very difficult to distinguish from subacute bacterial endocarditis, pulmonary tuberculosis, or carcinoma of the bronchus, and has only been described in association with benign myxomas of the left atrium (Goodwin et al, 1962). This report is of a left atrial sarcoma which presented in this way.…”

Primary chondrosarcomatous mesenchymoma of the mitral valve.

“…CLINICAL FEATURES The clinical diagnosis will not be discussed, as several excellent reviews of left atrial myxoma and other rare causes of mitral valve obstruction are available (Goodwin, Stanfield, Steiner, Bentall, Sayed, Bloom, and Bishop, 1962;Beard, McNamara, Cooley, Rosenberg, and Jordan, 1964).…”