Giant cardiac hemangioma in the right atrium: an asymptomatic surgical case

Abstract

Background Cardiac hemangiomas are rare, accounting for only 5% of benign cardiac tumors. In the past, there have been few reports of giant cardiac hemangiomas that were > 100 mm in size but were asymptomatic. Case presentation A 44-year-old woman presented with a large asymptomatic intracardiac mass that was accidentally detected on echocardiography. The tumor was surgically resected. During surgery, a sharply margined tumor was located in the right atrium; the tumor was histopathologically diagnosed as a cavernous hemangioma. The patient was discharged uneventfully on the 18th postoperative day. No signs of recurrence were observed at 1 year postoperatively. Conclusions We report on a surgical case of an asymptomatic giant cardiac hemangioma 115 mm × 92 mm in size, as measured by echocardiography. It is difficult to diagnose cardiac tumors before surgery based on symptoms and imaging. Surgical resection is the most reliable treatment because of its accurate diagnosis and favorable prognosis.