Why the study?
Pulmonary valve papillary fibroelastomas are exceptionally rare with high embolic risk, and most reported right-sided cases have required median sternotomy with cardioplegic arrest.
Demonstrates the feasibility of a minimally invasive left anterior thoracotomy on a beating heart for the excision of a rare pulmonary valve papillary fibroelastoma, offering an alternative to median sternotomy with cardioplegic arrest.
Hypothesis-generating for minimally invasive pulmonary valve PFE resection; further evidence required before adoption over standard sternotomy.
Cardiac papillary fibroelastomas (PFEs) are rare, benign endocardial tumors representing 7%-8% of primary cardiac neoplasms [1].While they typically involve left-sided valves, pulmonary valve involvement is exceptionally rare, occurring in <0.02% of clinical series [2].Despite their benign histology, the friable and mobile nature of PFEs poses a significant embolic risk.Most reported right-sided cases have been managed via median sternotomy with cardioplegic arrest.We present a case of pulmonary valve PFE successfully excised through a minimally invasive left anterior thoracotomy (LAT) on a beating heart -highlighting the shift in risk-benefit paradigm.
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Hashlamoun et al. (2026) studied this question.
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