A left atrial myxoma presenting as a cerebrovascular accident

A 14-year-old female presented with common clinical findings for a rare primary intracardiac tumor. Primary cardiac tumors are rare in all age groups, occurring in 0.05% of routine postmortem examinations. Pediatric primary cardiac tumors are likewise uncommon, with the most common being a rhabdomyoma, Atrial myxomas occur infrequently in the pediatric age group. They occur primarily between the third and sixth decade, making them the most common adult primary cardiac tumor. The following case presentation demonstrates a common clinical presentation for an intracardiac mass rarely diagnosed in the pediatric population. This patient's acute neurologic symptoms required prompt recognition of an intracardiac etiology. This recognition proved critical for the acute and long-term medical and surgical management of this patient. (C) 1999 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.