Atrial myxoma

Case contributed by Frank Gaillard
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Breathlessness.

Patient Data

Age: Adult
Gender: Female

Chest x-ray

x-ray

Chest x-ray demonstrates a markedly enlarged cardiac silhouette with splaying of the carina.

The patient went on to have a transthoracic echocardiogram, which confirmed that the heart was indeed markedly enlarged, without an abnormal amount of pericardial fluid. It also demonstrated a focal abnormality, which was further imaged with CT. 

Cardiac CT

ct

Cardiac CT demonstrates the heart to be enlarged. A low density filling defect occupying almost the entire right atrium is also noted. It appears attached to the inter-atrial septum. 

Cardiac MRI

mri

Single sequence from a cardiac MRI shows the mass to be of intermediate intensity on T1 weighted imaging.

Case Discussion

This patient went on to have a resection and an atrial myxoma was confirmed histologically.

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