Atrial myxoma producing a saddle embolus in a child

Atrial myxomata are rare in childhood. A case is described in a boy aged 7 years. The presenting feature was a saddle embolus, requiring immediate surgical intervention. Further investigations showed that a large part of the myxoma remained in the atrium; this portion was successfully removed. This mode of presentation is unusual. The presence of calcification within the myxoma was detectable on intensifier screen examination. The biochemical abnormalities frequently associated with myxomata were not found. The importance of recognizing a myxoma as the cause of a saddle embolus in an otherwise healthy child is emphasized and a number of unusual features of the present case are described.