SURGICAL EXPERIENCE WITH INTRACARDIAC MYXOMAS

Cardiac myxoma is generally considered to be a surgical emergency. Surgical excision must be done as soon as possible after diagnosis because of the high risk of valve obstruction or systemic embolization. In this study we report the result of operation in patient with benign cardiac myxoma. From 2001 to 2006, 35 patients (15 men and 20 women) between the ages of 26 and 82 years (mean of 52 ± 14 years) were operated on for cardiac myxoma. In all of them cardiac myxoma was excised with large cuff of atrial septum. The postoperative mortality was 2.9% (1 patient). No patient was lost in 5 years follow up. Emergency operation was performed in 80% of the patients; in the remaining (20%) of the patients, condition was stable and the clinical presentation was less worrying, so elective operation was done. Now as echocardiography can reveal smaller tumors in generally elderly patients, most cases of cardiac myxoma correspond to stable forms. With early diagnosis and surgical excision of atrial myxoma, 97.1% of patients survived post operatively and had an excellent short-term and long-term results leading to eventual cure of nonfamilial myxomas. However, familial myxomas retain a strong tendency to recur after excision.