Pseudotumors of the Right Heart

Tumors of the heart, especially atrial myxomas, are being diagnosed and treated surgically with increasing frequency.¹,²Often, these tumors simulate more common forms of heart disease. On the other hand, other lesions may produce symptoms and angiocardiographic findings similar to those of primary tumors of the heart. Although angiography is the definitive procedure in arriving at the diagnosis of a cardiac tumor, the method has some limitations. This report describes two patients whose angiocardiograms showed filling defects in the right atrium and right ventricle, respectively, which were first thought to represent tumors. Operation revealed the suspected right atrial tumor to be a saccular aneurysm of the ascending aorta and the suspected right ventricular tumor to be granulomatous endocarditis. Patient Summaries Patient 1. —A 59-year-old white man was referred to the Mayo Clinic in August 1965 with a diagnosis of "a primary cardiac tumor." His history included the fact that