Papillary fibroelastoma of the aortic valve: a sudden death case of coronary embolism with myocardial infarction

Papillary fibroelastoma is a rare benign turner, occasionally causing angina or sudden death. We report an autopsy case of an aortic valve papillary fibroelastoma with coronary artery embolism. The patient was a 68-year-old Japanese man who had collapsed suddenly in his house. Ile was a heavy dr inker and had a history of liver disease hut no notable cardiac event. The autopsy revealed extensive transmural infarction of the inferior wall of the left and right cardiac ventricles. The distal portion of the light coronary artery (segment 4, NYHA) was completely occluded by turner emboli of the fibroelastoma. At the site of closure of the aortic non-coronary cusp, there was a typical papillary fibroelastoma, which was considered to have originated the coronary embolization. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.