Aortic valve tumor causing acute myocardial infarction in a child

A 10-year-old child presented with biventriclar failure after an acute myocardial infarction. On investigation a large tuner arising from the aortic valve was diagnosed. The patient underwent successful aortic valve replacement for complete excision of the tumor mass, which was reported to be a papillary fibroelastoma. This case report highlights the unusual presentation of an aortic valve tumor in a child with myocardial infarction. The surgical dilemmas of the timing elf the operation and the nature of the operation are discussed. (C) 1997 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.