LEFT-VENTRICULAR FIBROMA IN 2 CHILDREN

Primary cardiac tumors are rare in infancy and childhood. We describe the features of large intramural ventricular cardiac fibromas discover ed in two children. In the first, a left ventricular apical tumor was discovered by means of echocardiography and left ventriculography in a symptomless 8-year-old boy. The intramural fibroma was successfully r esected. In the other case, an 8-month-old female infant with severe c ongestive heart failure, sudden ventricular tachycardia and fibrillati on occurred during left ventriculography. At necropsy a tumor was seen bulging in the anterior wall of the left ventricle and in the ventric ular septum. Histology showed the tumor to be a fibroma.