Left atrial myxoma: an unusual cause of postpartum tachycardia and shortness of breath

Abstract

Primary cardiac tumours are exceedingly rare in clinical practice and a myxoma is certainly not the first suspected diagnosis on a list of differentials in a patient presenting with breathlessness and tachycardia. Naturally, a structured work-up to rule out much more common conditions will take place. Nonetheless, an index of clinical suspicion is required especially when a clear-cut diagnosis is not forthcoming. We describe a case of a postpartum woman who presented with shortness of breath and palpitations, and was eventually diagnosed with a left atrial tumour. She underwent a successful surgical excision of the mass which was found to be a myxoma on histological examination. We review and present an up-to-date literature review on epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnosis and treatment options for cardiac myxomas.