Infected cardiac myxoma: Case report and literature review

Sanjay G. Revankar, Robert A. Clark

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    55 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    We present a case of a left atrial myxoma infected with Porphyromonas asaccharolytica in a 55-year-old man, successfully treated with surgical excision and a brief course of antibiotic therapy. Infected cardiac myxomas are extremely rare, with only 39 cases previously reported. They can be difficult to diagnose due to their protean clinical manifestations, which can often be seen in uninfected myxomas as well. We suggest that blood cultures and careful pathologic examination be performed in all cases of cardiac myxoma with constitutional symptoms. However, fever and elevated sedimentation rate are significantly more common in infected tumors. Organisms responsible are similar in distribution to those causing bacterial endocarditis. Emboli, though frequent, may not be more common in infected than uninfected myxomas. Case reports have become more common since the development of better diagnostic techniques. Echocardiography, especially by the transesophageal approach, is the diagnostic procedure of choice, and sensitivity approaches 100%. Surgical excision is curative and generally has low morbidity and mortality.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)337-344
    Number of pages8
    JournalMedicine (United States)
    Volume77
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Sep 1998

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Medicine

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Infected cardiac myxoma: Case report and literature review'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this