AN UNUSUAL SITE OF CARDIAC MYXOMA IN AN 1 1 YEAR-OLD CHILD

Cardiac myxoma, a relatively common condition in adults, is exceptiona lly rare in childhood. It is usually observed in the left atrium. The condition may be latent and a chance echocardiographic finding or pres ent with arrhythmias, intermittent mitral obstruction or embolic pheno mena. The authors report the case of an 11-year old child with no prev ious medical history, admitted to hospital after sudden right hemipleg ia due to an ischaemic cerebrovascular accident. The investigation of a cardiac embolic abnormality led to the finding of a very large left ventricular tumour inserted into the mitral annulus and prolapsing int o the left ventricular outflow tract, the histological examination of which confirmed the diagnosis of myxoma. Cardiac myxomas in children s eem to have a much more variable site of implantation than in adults, especially in the right heart in infancy. Treatment is always surgical . Echocardiography should be requested early in children presenting wi th a murmur of recent origin, malaises, or unexplained inflammatory sy ndromes, and would seem to be the only means of avoiding the severe em bolic complications of these histologically benign tumours.