2. Left Atrial Myxoma:
•An atrial myxoma is a benign tumor of the heart,
commonly found within the left and right atria on
the interatrial septum.
•About 75% of myxomas occur in the left atrium
of the heart, usually beginning in the wall that
divides the two upper chambers of the heart
(atria).
•Myxomas are more common in women.
•Generally range between 2-6 cm
•About 10% of myxomas are passed down
through families (Inherited). Such tumors are
called familial myxomas.
3. Symptoms
•SOB with activity
•Platypnoea- difficulty breathing in an upright position, relief in the
supine position
•Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea- difficult time breathing when sleeping
•Pulmonary hypertension
•Dizziness
•Fainting Click icon to add picture
•Chest pain & tightnes
Symptoms can often times mimic symptoms for mitral stenosis such
as…
•cough, fever
•Joint pain
•Involuntary weight loss
•Swelling- any part of the body
4. Right Atrial
Symptoms
Right atrial myxomas rarely produce
symptoms until they have grown at
least 5 inches wide.
Click icon to add picture
•Raynaud’s phenomenon-blueness of
skin * Fingers
•Curvature of nails + soft tissue swelling
•Clubbing of fingers
•Fingers change color upon pressure
with stress or cold.
5. Testing
•Echocardiogram & Doppler
study
•Chest x-ray
•CT scan Click icon to add picture
•MRI
•Angiography
•ECG
•Blood tests
6. Treatment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B7Xs3QEIkg
The tumor must be
surgically removed. Some
patients will also need their
mitral valve replaced. This Click icon to add picture
can be done during the
same surgery. Myxomas
may come back if surgery
did not remove all of the
tumor cells.
7. Complications
•Arrhythmias
•Pulmonary edema
•Peripheral emboli
Click icon to add picture
•Spread of the tumor
•Blockage of the mitral
valve
•Stroke
•Fusiform cerebral
aneurysm
8. Bibliography
-"Atrial Myxoma: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." U.S National Library of
Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
-"Rapidly Growing Left Atrial Myxoma: A Case Report." Journal of Medical Case
Reports. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
-"Atrial Myxoma." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 Nov. 2013. Web. 11 Mar.
2013.
-"Tumour of the Heart (Left Atrial Myxoma)." YouTube. YouTube, 15 Nov. 2007.
Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
-http://lib.myilibrary.com.westcoast-bh.no-ip.biz:2048/SearchResults.aspx N.p., n.d.
Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
9. Bibliography
-"Atrial Myxoma: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." U.S National Library of
Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
-"Rapidly Growing Left Atrial Myxoma: A Case Report." Journal of Medical Case
Reports. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
-"Atrial Myxoma." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 Nov. 2013. Web. 11 Mar.
2013.
-"Tumour of the Heart (Left Atrial Myxoma)." YouTube. YouTube, 15 Nov. 2007.
Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
-http://lib.myilibrary.com.westcoast-bh.no-ip.biz:2048/SearchResults.aspx N.p., n.d.
Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
