Mitral valve myxoma: Clinical features, current diagnostic approaches, and surgical management

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this article is to document the clinical features of the unusual mitral valve myxoma based on the literature of recent years. METHODS: A literature retrieval of the mitral valve myxoma reported in recent years was made using the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases. The clinical information about this unusual disorder was collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Mitral valve myxoma showed female predilection. Their major symptoms were cardiovascular or cerebrovascular, in addition to constitutional or embolic. The diagnosis was usually made based on two- and three-dimensional transthoracic and/or transesophageal echocardiography, as well as magnetic resonance imaging in the current era. Surgical resection with mitral valve defect repair was the commonest remedy for mitral valve myxoma when mitral valve function could be preserved, and the mitral valve should be replaced when necessary. Patients showed good response to surgical treatment during the follow-up of 17.0 ± 28.4 months after the operation. CONCLUSIONS: Two- and three-dimensional echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging are the major diagnostic tools for the diagnosis of a cardiac myxoma. After diagnosis, surgery should be performed urgently, in order to prevent complications such as embolic events or obstruction of the mitral orifice. Due to the fact that myxomas can recur, regular, postoperative cardiological control is mandatory.