ABSTRACT
We report a case of a 64-year-old woman who presented with symptoms for the common cold, for a medical examination. The chest X-ray showed enlargement of the heart, and echocardiography detected a mobile mass suggestive of a tumor 21×14 mm in the left ventricle. Because there was a risk of embolism, we decided to perform an operation. The tumor was elastic and soft and had a stalk arising from the wall of the left ventricle. We considered that it would be difficult to observe and expose the left ventricular tumor by direct vision. Therefore, we chose to perform a complete endoscopic resection. The tumor was determined histopathologically to be a papillary fibroelastoma. Here, we report the relatively rare benign tumor, a papillary fibroelastoma, and include a discussion of the literature.
ABSTRACT
Cardiac papillary fibroelastomas are rare but are still the second most common benign cardiac tumor ; after myxoma. While cardiac papillary fibroelastomas are benign, there is the potential for severe complications related to embolism. Consequently, a surgical treatment approach is generally recommended. Nevertheless, from the risk of the recurrence of tumor and the valve insufficiency, the excision range is still controversial, particularly with tumors arising from the valve. We report the case of a 66-year-old woman who underwent resection of cardiac papillary fibroelastomas arising from three leaflets of the aortic valves. We performed simple excision without valve surgery and obtained an uneventful prognosis. At 18 months after surgery, no recurrence of tumors was recognized. We consider that it is possible to resect cardiac papillary fibroelastomas without performing valve repair or replacement if they are removed carefully even if the tumors arise from three leaflets of an aortic valve.
ABSTRACT
A 68-year-old woman with a diagnosis of atrial septal defect (ASD) presented with dyspnea. Chest radiography demonstrated cardiomegaly and infiltration in both lungs, suggestive of cardiac decompensation due to ASD. Detailed evaluation with transthoracic echocardiography revealed a mobile tumor on the aortic valve. Intraoperatively, tumors were identified on all aortic cusps. Preservation of the aortic valve was difficult. We therefore performed aortic valve replacement and patch closure of the ASD. The existing literature suggests that mobile papillary fibroelastoma should be excised irrespective of size, to prevent the risk of embolism. Excision of the tumor alone is usually sufficient. However, the present case showed clustered tumors on the aortic valve, so preservation of the cusps could not be achieved in this case.
ABSTRACT
Cardiac papillary fibroelastoma (CPFE) is a rare tumor, and is usually located in the atrioventricular or ventriculoarterial valves. It is occasionally identified by echocardiography or surgery. It can also be an unexpected finding at autopsy. As this tumor often occurs in left-sided cardiac chambers, early aggressive surgical resection is required in order to prevent severe systemic embolic complications. However, the operative indications of tumors on the right cardiac chamber are controversial. The patient was a 73 year-old man. He had had cerebral infarction at age 58. Before the currently reported operation, we found CPFE on the tricuspid valve but we could not find a patent foramen ovale (PFO) by the usual examinations. During surgery, we found a CPFE on the tricuspid valve that had a short stalk and PFO. We cut the short stalk of the CPFE easily, and closed the PFO directly. This patient did not need complicated valve repair. We speculated that this cerebral infarction was caused by a CPFE on the tricuspid valve and patent foramen ovale. Echocardiography is very useful in diagnosing CPFE. However, we should not neglect the possibility of PFO before surgery. The postoperative course was uneventful. We concluded that early surgical resection of CPFE, even in right-sided cardiac chambers, should be performed in order to prevent severe embolic complications, even without PFO diagnosis.