Rare operations in pediatric heart surgery: Cardiac tumors in childhood.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In this study, we present our 12-year experience in the surgical treatment of primary cardiac tumors in childhood. METHODS: Thirteen pediatric patients (8 males, 5 females; mean age 1.3±1.9 years; range, 3 days to 6 years) who were operated for a primary cardiac tumor in our center between January 2005 and December 2017 were included in this study. The data were evaluated retrospectively based on our medical records. RESULTS: All of the masses resected were benign. However, the most common tumor was rhabdomyoma (n=7), followed by fibroma (n=3), myxoma (n=2), and pericardial teratoma (n=1). The mortality rate was 15.4%, as two patients died in the early postoperative period. No residual mass or tumor recurrence was observed in the early and late postoperative period in the remaining patients. CONCLUSION: Although primary cardiac tumors in childhood are usually benign, they may cause clinically significant problems depending on the localization and size of the tumor. Surgical tumor excision is often associated with good long-term outcomes.