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CARDIAC MYXOMA A CLINICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL STUDY

1939; BMJ; Volume: 1; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1136/hrt.1.3.249

2053-5864

Rachael L. Fawcett, Elspeth Ward,

Cardiac tumors and thrombi

We wish to place on record this case of so-called cardiac myxoma because it appears that only rarely do descriptions of this interesting lesion appear in British publications.We have found only one British reference during the last nine years, the case of Gilchrist and Miller (1936) which will be discussed later in this paper ; on the other hand, numerous references have appeared during the last few years in America and Germany.The lesion is a rare one, much less common than the appearance of secondary neoplasm.The latter were found by Welch (1931) in 0O22 per cent. of autopsies, and Ward (1934) reports a corresponding figure of 0 3 per cent., whereas Lymburner (1934) states that primary neoplasms of the heart were found in 005 per cent. of autopsies, of this number 75 per cent.were innocent and the majority of innocent tumours were myxomas. DESCRIPTION OF THE CASEA woman aged 60 was admitted for the first time to the City General Hospital, Leicester, on March 4, 1938, with the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus and bronchitis.She had previously complained of rheumatic pains in the shoulders and since 1925 she had had various attacks of epigastric pain and vomiting.More recently it had been known that her blood pressure was above the normal.During her stay in hospital her diabetic condition was readily stabilized, nothing abnormal was discovered in her cardiovascular system except slight hypertension, B. P. 170/90 mm., and she was discharged after fifteen days.Almost immediately after returning home she began to suffer from fainting attacks, but on no occasion was she seen by her medical attendant whilst in an attack.Precordial pain also occurred and was associated with marked dyspncea and some cough.Precordial pain and dyspncea now continued until December 1938, when diarrhcea started.This symptom became so pronounced that the patient was readmitted to hospital on January 14, 1939, for investi-