Rare Cardiac Myxoma with A Hard Texture: A Case Report

Abstract

Background: Primary tumors of the heart are uncommon but not rare. Myxoma comprises 50% of all benign cardiac tumors in adults and 15% of such tumors in children. Cardiac myxoma is usually soft in texture and has a friable or villous surface, which tends to be associated with embolic events. It is also rare for myxoma to be full of calcium and metastatic bone deposits.Case presentation: We herein present a 58-year-old female patient with cardiac space-occupying lesion within the left atrium, and the lesion is lubricous and hard. Her only symptoms were hypertension, dizziness, and chest stuffiness. After surgical resection, we confirmed that the lesion was atrial myxoma by histopathology examination. The patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged. A 2-year follow-up exam showed no evidence of tumor recurrence.Conclusions: Cardiac myxoma is rare and has various clinical manifestations. It is usually friable and has an irregular surface, making embolic manifestations one of the most common complications. Consequently, immediate surgical excision is suggested upon diagnosis. In our case, the patient had a rare type of cardiac myxoma, which had a hard texture and lubricous surface. In our opinion, this case has a low risk of embolism. We prefer elective surgery rather than emergency surgery to perfect the preoperative examination for this kind of patient.