Emergency Surgery Due to Haematoma in a Case of Left Atrial Myxoma

Birim, Özcan; de Jong, Peter L.; Galema, Tjebbe W.; Kappetein, A. Pieter; Bogers, Ad J.J.C.

doi:10.1016/j.hlc.2005.11.004

« Previous Next »Heart, Lung and Circulation
Volume 15, Issue 3 , Pages 191-193, June 2006

Emergency Surgery Due to Haematoma in a Case of Left Atrial Myxoma

Özcan Birim, MD, PhD
- Department of Cardio-thoracic Surgery, Room BD 156, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, P.O. Box 2040, Dr. Molewaterplein 40, 3015 GD, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Peter L. de Jong, MD
- Department of Cardio-thoracic Surgery, Room BD 156, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, P.O. Box 2040, Dr. Molewaterplein 40, 3015 GD, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Tjebbe W. Galema, MD
- Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, Dr. Molewaterplein 40, 3015 GD, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
A. Pieter Kappetein, MD, PhD
- Department of Cardio-thoracic Surgery, Room BD 156, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, P.O. Box 2040, Dr. Molewaterplein 40, 3015 GD, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +31 10 4635412; fax: +31 10 4633993.
Ad J.J.C. Bogers, MD, PhD
- Department of Cardio-thoracic Surgery, Room BD 156, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, P.O. Box 2040, Dr. Molewaterplein 40, 3015 GD, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Received 24 October 2004; received in revised form 21 June 2005; accepted 21 November 2005.

Atrial myxomas generally do not require urgent surgery. We report on a 78-year-old woman in whom transesophageal echography revealed a large left atrial myxoma. She acutely developed dyspnoea, tachypnoea, and forward failure necessating urgent surgery. The myxoma was surgically removed and showed a haematoma. The most likely reason for the deteriorating condition was acute enlargement of the myxoma due to intramyxomal haemorrhage. This case illustrates that the clinical condition of patients with symptomatic myxoma can deteriorate suddenly and require urgent surgical treatment.

Keywords: Atrial myxoma, Haematoma, Emergency, Cardiac surgery