Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2000;17:338
© 2000 Elsevier Science NL
Images in cardio-thoracic surgery |
The wrecking ball effect of a right atrial myxoma
Carmela Nardia,
Marco De Carloa,
Aldo Milanob,
Uberto Bortolottib
a Division of Cardiology, Cardiac and Thoracic Department, University of Pisa Medical School, Pisa, Italy
b Division of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiac and Thoracic Department, University of Pisa Medical School, Pisa, Italy
Corresponding author. U.O. Cardiochirurgia, Ospedale Cisanello, Via Paradisa 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy. Tel.: +39-50-996-972; fax: +39-50-578-234
e-mail: u.bortolotti{at}cardchir.med.unipi.it
A 47-year-old woman complained of exertional dyspnea and cough 2 months prior to admission. A transthoracic 2D echocardiogram showed a large right atrial mass going though the tricuspid valve during the cardiac cycle (Fig. 1). At operation the mass, attached close to the inferior vena cava outflow, was excised with its base of insertion. Concomitant tricuspid regurgitation due to marked annular dilatation became evident and it was corrected by valve bicuspidalization and commissural plication. The mass, which measured approximately 55x40 mm, had the histological features of a myxoma.
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Fig. 1. Transthoracic 2D echocardiogram in the four-chamber view showing a large right atrial (RA) tumor which going back (a) and forth (b) through the tricuspid valve (TV) caused annular dilatation by a wrecking ball effect resulting in evident tricuspid incompetence upon removal of the mass.
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Received December 6, 1999;
accepted December 15, 1999.
