Vascular complications associated with a large cardiac fibroma

A case is reported of a 30-year-old patient with an intrapericardial tumour with heart failure. After the diagnostic protocol, surgery was performed i nitially without extra-corporeal circulation (ECC). Due to the location, si ze and to the large connection with the most important vascular structures, the ascending aorta ruptured accidentally during resection and was replace d after using ECC in emergency. The postsurgical course was regular and the tumour was identified histologically as a fibroma. (C) 2001 Elsevier Scien ce B.V. All rights reserved.