Why the study?
Cardiac myxomas can manifest with variable systemic, embolic, or obstructive findings without primary cardiac symptoms, and left atrial myxoma presenting with biventricular failure is rare.
Left atrial myxoma can present with diverse and severe manifestations including ischemic stroke and biventricular failure, which can improve significantly following surgical excision.
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Embolic stroke may signal occult left atrial myxoma without cardiac symptoms; leaves open echocardiography utility in cryptogenic stroke.
Cardiac myxomas are the most common primary cardiac tumors and are usually benign. They vary in size and location, with the left atrium (LA) being the most common site, typically attached to the fossa ovalis. Their manifestations range from asymptomatic to severe obstructive cardiac symptoms, embolic manifestations, or systemic findings, which can often occur without any primary cardiac symptoms. Here is a case of a 48-year-old man who initially presented with ischemic stroke. The myxoma was missed, and he later developed diverse manifestations such as weight loss and anorexia, ultimately presenting with biventricular failure. LA myxoma with biventricular failure is rare. Our patient showed significant improvement in both clinical status and biventricular function following myxoma excision.
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Shivashankarappa et al. (2024) studied this question.
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