RIGHT-VENTRICULAR MYXOMA MIMICKING RECURRENT PULMONARY-EMBOLISM AFTERPRIMARY LIGAMENT RECONSTRUCTION

Recurrent pulmonary emboli may be due to numerous causes and deep vein thrombosis are not an unusual source of pulmonary emboli following su rgery. In this case report, the diagnostic approach and implications o f a right ventricular myxoma as a rare source in a young patient is de scribed. A 27-year old healthy woman presented scintigraphically prove n recurrent pulmonary emboli after primary ligament reconstruction. Fo llowing a long period of diagnostic work-up for thromboembolism after surgery, a transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiagraphy was per formed to document a right ventricular myxoma. Both transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography are powerful diagnostic means in a c ardiac work-up and were used in this patient for the documentation of a right ventricular myxoma mimicking deep vein thromboembolism after s urgery: As consequence of this case report we recommend to investigate patients with recurrent pulmonary embolism and no detectable venous t hrombosis by echocardiography and a need for cardiac catheterization i s restricted to patients with possible coexisting coronary artery dise ase. Furthermore, this case report demonstrates a myxoma in the right ventricle occurring only in 3-4% of all myxomas.