Left atrial fungal mass masquerading as myxoma: the importance of histopathological confirmation: a case report

Background Infective endocarditis (IE) remains a serious and potentially life-threatening condition. Fungal infective endocarditis is a rare form of endocarditis that occur in immunodeficient patients. Atrial myxoma are a common cause of cardiac tumors in the left atrium. However, infective endocarditis is a differential diagnosis of cardiac masses in general and atrial myxoma particularly. Case summary A 49-year-old male with subacute infective endocarditis presentation underwent an echocardiogram examination that showed a left atrial mass with features of atrial myxoma. However, the histological examination after surgical removal of the mass showed a fungal mass. Conclusion This case shows that a fungal infective endocarditis may present with a cardiac mass sharing typical features with left atrial myxoma. It also shows the importance of histological examination for the final diagnosis and a prompt treatment.