Introduction
The lack of ongoing cellular proliferation in the adult human heart
makes myocardial tissue notably resistant to tumor formation, which is
why cardiac tumors are very rare (1), with an overall incidence of about
0.5/million (2). A myxoma is a benign growth in the heart that may
develop in the right or left atria, or, more rarely, in the ventricles
(1)(3)(4). This rare condition’s etiology remains unclear, yet its
origin has been associated with a proliferation of primitive
stroma/connective tissue cells (1) and undifferentiated mesenchymal
cells (3).
Usually, clinical manifestations are non-specific and are defined by the
location, size, and mobility of the tumor. Myxomas may present in
several ways, the most frequent manifestations being hemodynamic
consequences like dyspnea, arrhythmia, palpitations, syncope, congestive
heart failure and sudden death; systemic embolism such as transient
ischemic attack (TIA), cerebrovascular accidents (CVA); and
constitutional or systemic manifestations such as fever, weight loss,
arthralgia, and fatigue (2). Here, we present a typical and very
illustrative case and literature review of a patient with a left atrium
(LA) myxoma, in order to orient clinicians in the assessment of this
rare condition.