Surgery of Atrial Myxoma

CARDIAC tumors have long been of interest and have been the subject of extensive review articles.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Most of these tumors are secondary, however, and the cardiac problem is superimposed on primary cancer elsewhere, often with widespread metastases.Primary tumors of the heart are more challenging from the standpoint of both diagnosis and management. It is important to differentiate intracavitary tumors from valvular heart lesions such as mitral stenosis. In many cases this distinction will be difficult and the true diagnosis will continue to be made only at operation. A constant awareness of the various ways by which primary cardiac tumors . . .