Key result
Multimodality imaging identifies an apparent IVC mass on echo as compression from a right ectopic kidney.
Case Report (n=1)
This case highlights the importance of multimodality imaging in distinguishing true intravascular lesions from external anatomical impressions, such as an ectopic kidney mimicking an IVC mass.
Coexistent ectopic kidney does not change cardiac myxoma management after stroke; leaves open potential shared developmental origins.
An ectopic kidney (EK) and cardiac myxoma are two distinct conditions with no known direct association. Cardiac myxoma represents the most common benign primary cardiac tumor, arising from the endocardium. In contrast, an EK is a congenital anomaly characterized by one or both kidneys being located outside their normal position within the renal fossa. We present the case of a 27-year-old female patient who was evaluated for ischemic stroke and was found to have a left atrial myxoma originating from the interatrial septum (IAS) and prolapsing into the right atrium through an atrial septal defect (ASD). During transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) evaluation, a hypoechogenic structure suggestive of a mass was observed within the inferior vena cava (IVC). However, multimodality imaging, including contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT), demonstrated that this finding represented external compression caused by a right EK rather than a true intravascular mass. This case underscores the importance of multimodality imaging in distinguishing true intravascular lesions from external anatomical impressions and highlights that an EK may mimic an IVC mass on echocardiography. Furthermore, the report documents a rare concurrence of cardiac myxoma, ASD, thoracic EK, and an ectopic adrenal gland.
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Ulutaş et al. (2026) conducted a case report in Cardiac myxoma, atrial septal defect, and ectopic kidney (n=1). Multimodality imaging (contrast-enhanced CT) was evaluated. Multimodality imaging with contrast-enhanced CT demonstrated that an apparent inferior vena cava mass on echocardiography was actually external compression caused by a right ectopic kidney.
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