Common Cardiac Tumor Research Articles

Additional value of CMR parametric mapping in tissue characterization of common benign pediatric cardiac tumors.

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) parametric mapping is underexplored in cardiac tumors. To evaluate the contribution of mapping sequences on the characterization of pediatric tumors. All pediatric patients referred for cardiac tumors at Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital from June 2017 to November 2023, who underwent CMR with mapping sequences, were included. The diagnosis of tumor type was performed according to signal characteristics on different sequences. Mass parametric mapping for each subtype and interobserver variability was assessed. Sixteen patients were enrolled. The mean age at CMR was 7 ± 5 years. "Traditional" mass-type assessment diagnosed hemangioma (Group A) in 3 patients (19%), fibroma (Group B) in 4 patients (25%), rhabdomyoma (Group C) in 6 patients (37%), and lipoma (Group D) in 3 patients (19%). The ANOVA analysis revealed significant differences in mass native T1 and mass extracellular volume (ECV) values among the four subgroups (p<0.001 for both comparisons). The mean native T1 and ECV values were respectively 1465 ± 158 msec and 54 ± 4% for Group A, 860 ± 118 msec and 93 ± 4% for Group B, 1007 ± 57 msec and 23 ± 5% for Group C, and 215 ± 13 msec and 0 ± 0% for Group D. Mass mapping analysis is feasible and reproducible in children. ECV values provide the most accurate differentiation. Mass ECV consistently resembles normal myocardium in rhabdomyoma, is extremely high (approaching 100%) in fibroma, equals to zero in lipoma, and matches blood pool ECV (1-Hct) in hemangioma.

Cardiac rhabdomyoma: an uncommon culprit in sudden infant death

Sudden death in infants remains a common and poorly understood cause of childhood mortality in the USA. Pediatric cardiac tumors, although rare, may underlie some cases of unexplained sudden infant death. Autopsy is a crucial diagnostic step in these cases, as both gross and microscopic examination of the heart may uncover occult cardiac tumors. Rhabdomyomas are the most common cardiac tumors in childhood and may result in arrythmia and sudden death. We present a case of sudden death in a healthy 5-month-old infant which initially appeared “SIDS-like” until thorough histological analysis revealed an underlying cardiac rhabdomyoma. The case is of particular importance in that the gross examination of the heart was considered completely normal, and the tumor only involved certain portions of the heart microscopically. Had a single random section of myocardium been the only heart section examined microscopically, the diagnosis might have been missed. This case emphasizes the importance of thorough microscopic examination in infant cases, especially in cases where the heart appears grossly normal.

Neonatal Cardiac Rhabdomyoma: A Single-Center Experience.

Cardiac rhabdomyoma, known as the most common benign cardiac tumor in childhood, is strongly associated with tuberous sclerosis complex. This study aims to present our single-center experience regarding clinical observations, diagnostic approaches, and treatment modalities for cardiac rhabdomyoma identified during the neonatal period. In this clinical observational study, we retrospectively assessed the outcomes of 12 newborn patients diagnosed with cardiac rhabdomyoma who were followed up in our neonatal intensive care unit over the past 12 years. The mean gestational age of the patients was 38.2±1.6 weeks, with an average birth weight of 3193±314 grams. The mean postnatal age at initial diagnosis was 12.42±15.75 days. Tuberous sclerosis complex was clinically identified in 50% of cases (six patients). Seven infants received everolimus treatment, while three infants underwent clinical monitoring without specific interventions. A significant reduction in cardiac mass size was observed in all surviving patients, leading to their subsequent discharge from the hospital. Cardiac rhabdomyomas often undergo spontaneous regression in early childhood. However, in cases with obstructive lesions or arrhythmias, they may present life-threatening consequences. Timely diagnosis, appropriate clinical management, and monitoring are crucial in optimizing outcomes for neonates with cardiac rhabdomyoma.

Correlation of cost in teaching hospital with outcomes in patients with cardiac myxoma: A retrospective study using the national in-patient data sample (NIS).

e23062 Background: Cardiac myxoma (CM) is a rare cancer, benign but functionally malignant. It is the most common cardiac tumor and is more frequent in females in North America and Europe. Mortality has been associated with cardiac burden complications and the resolving capacity of the medical center to diagnose and treat these complications. Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis focused on adults admitted to hospitals between 2016 and 2020 with a primary diagnosis of CM. Data for this study were obtained from the NIS Database. The primary outcome was to determine if higher cost in teaching hospitals has an impact on mortality outcomes compared with non-teaching teaching hospitals. We looked at sociodemographic characteristics, length of stay (LoS), and complications as secondary outcomes. Hypothesis testing for categorical variables was tested with Chi-Square. Continuous variables were tested with a Student t-test. Statistical significance was defined as a two-tailed P value of &lt; 0.05. Results: A total of 3,744 patients met inclusion criteria: 3014 were within teaching hospitals (TH), and 730 were within no-teaching hospitals (NTH). The median age was similar in both settings: 64 years in TH and 68 years in NTH (p &lt; 0.001). LoS was higher in TH, 7.6 days, vs. NTH, 6.3 days (p = 0.05). Hospitalization costs were higher in TH, for a mean of $156,658 than in NTH, for a mean of $109,328 (p &lt; 0.001). Most patients were females, 1850 in TH and 405 in NTH (p = 0.24). Mortality was higher in TH 75 vs. NTH 45 (p = 0.02). The population was composed of mostly White patients (68% in TH vs. 73% in NTH), followed by Back (14% in TH vs. 9% in NTH), Hispanics (11% in TH vs. 9% in NTH), Asian (3% in TH vs. 6% in NTH) and Native American patients (5% in TH vs. 0% in NTH) (p = 0.22). Patients were located mainly in the south region (39% in TH vs. 43% in NTH), followed by a similar distribution between the West (20% in TH vs. 27% in NTH), Central (23% in TH vs. 20% in NTH) and East regions (20% in TH vs. 10% in NTH) (p = 0.02). The most frequent payer was Medicare, 56% in TH vs 64% in NTH and private insurance, 28% in TH vs 24% in NTH (p &lt; 0.001). Cardiac pathologies were the most frequent comorbidities: Congestive Heart Failure (p = 0.39), Cardiovascular disease (p = 0.18), hypertension (p = 0.1), and coronary artery disease (p = 0.44). The most common complications were cardiovascular, as demonstrated in previous studies. Conclusions: Cardiac Myxoma is a benign tumor with fatal severe complications that affect the more elderly female white population. Our study revealed a lack of significance between the outcome and the type of hospital in which patients received treatment. Similarly, mortality was not found to be driven by sociodemographic characteristics in our analysis.

Prenatal diagnosis of Fetal Cardiac Rhabdomyoma associated with Familial Tuberous Sclerosis

Introduction: Of the fetal heart tumors, the most common are rhabdomyomas. Its prevalence is based on 11,000 autopsies performed on children and is 0.027%.1 Its diagnosis in the prenatal stage is a challenge, however, it has been reported in the second and third trimesters of gestation.Clinical case: 19-year-old female patient with a history of presenting with lipothymia at 2 years of age. Given these manifestations, she underwent different studies, including Cranial Magnetic Resonance (MRI), which concluded as a diagnosis of Tuberous Sclerosis. In its current state of gestation, at week 33, a finding is seen that corresponds to unilateral pulmonary agenesis; at 35 weeks, liver and kidney ultrasounds are performed on the mother and fetal ultrasound. Serial ultrasound findings revealed maternal hepatic and renal hemangiolipoma. Fetal biventicular rhabdomyoma with probable transposition of the great vessels and pulmonary artery stenosis.Discussion: Rhabdomyomas are the most common fetal cardiac tumors. In our clinical case, the pregnant woman had a history of Bourneville Tuberous Sclerosis. The definitive diagnosis of maternal pathologies was made in the 3rd trimester. It was complicated to manage due to suspicion of additional heart disease of the Classical Transposition of the Great Vessels type, evidenced by imaging studies. He was subsequently referred to a more complex center for better follow-up and definitive treatment.Conclusions: Fetal rhabdomyoma diagnosed prenatally is complex, requiring serial imaging studies and multidisciplinary follow-up. It is important to monitor the hemodynamic status and any cardiovascular repercussions of the pregnant woman. In addition, fetal structures including the central nervous system, heart and renal parenchyma must be carefully evaluated to avoid significant sequelae in those affected.

МАГНИТНО-РЕЗОНАНСНАЯ ТОМОГРАФИЯ СЕРДЦА В ДИАГНОСТИКЕ МИКСОМЫ ЛЕВОГО ПРЕДСЕРДИЯ

Abstract. Introduction. Left atrial myxoma is one of the most common benign cardiac tumors. Myxomas occur most frequently in people aged 30-60 years. This tumor is one of the most difficult to diagnose due to the different density of its structure. Aim. To present our own clinical case report on choosing the strategy of managing a patient with left atrial myxoma. Materials and Methods. Female patient N., 66 years old, was admitted to the Department of Cardiology at City Clinical Hospital 7, Kazan on a referral from the polyclinic with complaints of recurrent burning chest pain radiating to the left arm and occurring during physical exertion (walking up to 50-100 m), accompanied by dyspnea; increase in blood pressure up to 180/100 mm Hg, heart performance disorders, heart palpitations, dizziness, and high-blood- pressure-associated headaches. When writing this article, the authors used the patient’s source documents (her case history). The article details the current disease history, clinical manifestations, examination findings, and the approaches to choosing the patient management considering her age and clinical manifestations. Results and Discussion. Clinical manifestations of the disease set on in January 2023 with dyspnea occurring during accelerated walking and burning chest pain. Before her admission to City Clinical Hospital 7, heart pain syndrome had recurred. In view of the clinical manifestations of acute coronary syndrome, the patient was prescribed coronary angiography that detected multivessel coronary artery disease. Echocardiography detected congenital heart disease: Secondary atrial septal defect. Thrombus? Myxoma? in the left atrium cavity. Magnetic resonance imaging of the heart was performed to verify the diagnosis. This technique allowed us to determine her accurate diagnosis: Left atrium myxoma; atrial septal defect. Conclusions. Practitioners will need these data to choose the strategy of managing patients with left atrial myxoma

The prevalence of congenital cardiac tumours in unselected newborns

Abstract Background Primary cardiac tumours in children are rare. The most common cardiac tumour in newborns is rhabdomyomas, associated with tuberous sclerosis in &amp;gt;50% of cases. The estimated prevalence is 0.14‰ in fetuses, whereas in the paediatric population, a 20-fold difference in autopsy prevalence has been reported (0.017‰ to 0.27‰). Purpose To determine the pre- and postnatal prevalence of congenital cardiac tumours in a large, population-based cohort of prenatally enrolled newborns. Methods Systematic transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), including sub-xiphoid, apical, parasternal, and suprasternal views, was performed in unselected newborns included in a population study. Participants were included at time of the routine malformation scan (weeks 18-21), which included 4-chamber view, aortic and pulmonary outflow tracts, and three-vessel view. Cardiac tumours were defined as solid, echogenic masses, and the echocardiographic description included location, size, and number (one/multiple) of the tumour. Information on subsequent diagnosis of tuberous sclerosis was collected from review of medical charts. Results A total of 25,588 newborns (age 12±8 days, 51.6% male) were enrolled and underwent TTE. Prenatally, no cardiac tumours were reported in any of the participants. Postnatally, cardiac tumours were detected in 7 newborns (4 males), corresponding to a prevalence of 0.3 [0.1; 0.6] per 1,000 live-births. Through retrospective review of the prenatal scans, a possible tumour in the ventricle was suspected in 1 of the 7 cases; the remaining 6 cases showed no signs of tumours prenatally. Sex, gestational age at birth, birth length and weight, APGAR 5-score, age and weight at TTE, and maternal age and pre-pregnancy BMI, did not significantly differ between newborns with (n=7) and without (n=25,581) cardiac tumours (all p&amp;gt;0.05). Smoking during pregnancy was significantly more frequent among mothers to newborns with cardiac tumours compared to the remaining cohort (29% vs 4%, p=0.023). In all 7 newborns, the cardiac tumours were located in the ventricles (5 (71%) newborns with tumours in both ventricles, 2 (29%) with tumours in the right ventricle), with multiple tumours seen in 6 (86%), and with size ranging from 2.0x1.9 mm to 10.0x5.1 mm. All 7 newborns had otherwise structurally normal hearts and no flow obstruction. Three newborns with cardiac tumours in the ventricles (43%) were diagnosed with tuberous sclerosis within 4 months after birth. Conclusions Systematic TTE in unselected newborns revealed a prevalence of congenital cardiac tumours of 0.3‰. Prenatal screening in week 18-21 did not seem efficient for identification of cardiac tumours. Cardiac tumours were located in the ventricles and were most often multiple. Cardiac tumours in the ventricles were associated with tuberous sclerosis in almost half the cases. For newborns with cardiac tumours, maternal smoking during pregnancy was common (29%).Figure 1

Crosstalk between KIF1C and PRKAR1A in left atrial myxoma

Cardiac myxoma (CM) is the most common benign cardiac tumor, and most CMs are left atrial myxomas (LAMs). Six variations of KIF1C, c.899 A > T, c.772 T > G, c.352 A > T, c.2895 C > T, c.3049 G > A, and c.*442_*443dup in left atrial myxoma tissues are identified by whole-exome sequencing (WES) and Sanger sequencing. RNA-seq and function experiments show the reduction of the expression of KIF1C and PRKAR1A caused by rare variations of KIF1C. KIF1C is observed to be located in the nucleus, bind to the promoter region of PRKAR1A, and regulate its transcription. Reduction of KIF1C decreases PRKAR1A expression and activates the PKA, which causes an increase in ERK1/2 phosphorylation and SRC-mediated STAT3 activation, a reduction of CDH1, TP53, CDKN1A, and BAX, and eventually promotes tumor formation both in vitro and in vivo. The results suggest that inhibition of KIF1C promotes the pathogenesis of LAM through positive feedback formed by the crosstalk between KIF1C and PRKAR1A.

A Ping Pong Ball in the Left Ventricle

Diagnosing cardiac masses, especially those related to cardiac tumors, is often challenging in clinical practice. Though myxomas are the most common and well-known benign cardiac tumors, other rare and often-neglected tumors can be difficult to diagnose. In this case report, the authors describe a left ventricular cardiac mass with unique and striking imaging features.

A Common Cardiac Tumor Revealed on Multimodality Imaging.

A Common Cardiac Tumor Revealed on Multimodality Imaging.

Diagnosis of the right atrial myxoma after treatment of COVID‐19: A case report

Atrial myxoma is a rare disease but has a broad clinical presentation and complication that involves several systems- heart, lungs, brain, and systemic. An interdisciplinary approach is very important to optimize the outcome in patients with atrial myxomas. A thorough examination by primary care providers is crucial. Then radiologists or cardiologists can help with imaging modalities that can help diagnose and characterize the tumor. Prior to surgical resection by cardiothoracic surgeons, patients need to be evaluated by pulmonologists, cardiologists, and anesthesiologists for preoperative risk stratifications. In patients with neurological complications, pulmonary complications, or infectious endocarditis, input from neurologists, hematologists, infectious disease specialists is essential for patient care. In case antiplatelet/anticoagulation therapy or antibiotic treatment is warranted, pharmacists can provide valuable recommendations. Myxoma is the most common benign cardiac primary tumor, occurring in the right atrium in only 15%-20% of cases. This disease is asymptomatic initially depending upon size of the tumor, and symptoms develop as the tumor spreads. Atrial myxomas are associated with a triad of complications, including obstruction, emboli, and constitutional symptoms (such as fever and weight loss). This regard, embolization of the pulmonary circulation system is a complication of right myxoma. The patient was a 40-year-old male who presented to the emergency department complaining of fever and confusion. He had been previously hospitalized due to COVID-19 and treated with Remdesivir and plasmapheresis. He had tachycardia, tachypnea, thrombocytopenia, and increased liver enzymes. Chest imaging showed nodular lesions with necrotic areas and cavitary lesions in both lungs and the right atrium infected clot was seen in echocardiography. He was treated with intravenous antibiotics and finally underwent heart surgery due to the diagnosis of pulmonary septic embolism. The patient was finally diagnosed with right atrial myxoma according to heart mass histopathology. It is worth noting that the patient's thrombosis had already developed on the right atrial myxoma, which delayed the diagnosis in this patient. This thrombus formation was due to the hypercoagulability state of COVID-19 and following the insertion of a central venous catheter to perform plasmapheresis as a complication of treatment. Special attention should be paid to thromboprophylaxis and the early diagnosis of intravascular and intracardiac thrombosis in COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, the use of imaging modalities is recommended to differentiate thrombus from myxoma.

Huge left atrial myxoma: about 2 cases resected in the Democratic Republic of Congo

BackgroundMyxoma is the most common cardiac tumor, found in 75–80% of cases in the left atrium. It can grow quietly and therefore reach a large size before being symptomatic. Poor availability of echocardiography also contributes to delayed diagnosis. In Sub-Saharan African countries, myxoma diagnosis can be missed for many patients. Myxoma resection surgery, although technically simple, is not always possible, because of the lack of cardiac surgery development. The aim of this report is to describe the first two consecutive resection cases of huge left-atrial myxoma performed in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and to discuss the specificities of this surgery in this low-resource context.Case presentationTwo patients, 54 and 48 years old, were diagnosed with giant myxoma of the left atrium in the management of progressive dyspnea The first patient's transthoracic echocardiography revealed a pedunculated atrial mass (37 × 48 mm) on the interatrial septum, passing through the mitral valve. For the second patient, the mass (64 × 26 mm) was attached to the roof of the left atrium and protruded into the mitral valve, with significant mitro-tricuspid regurgitation The first patient underwent a simple resection of the myxoma. For the second patient, it was associated to a mitro-tricuspid annuloplasty. The postoperative course was simple for the first patient, but the second patient developed a biventricular failure requiring vasoactive drugs. Both patients were discharged alive from the hospital on postoperative days 10 and 12, respectively. They are regularly followed up and are doing well 2 years after surgery.Discussion and conclusionSurgical resection is the only effective treatment of myxoma. Our first results are encouraging The poor availability of the echocardiography is a challenge in the diagnosis of myxoma. The development of cardiac surgery in DRC and ongoing country-level efforts to address diagnostic challenges for these often silent tumors will allow us to expect more resections to be performed locally and larger series published.

Developing a novel positronium biomarker for cardiac myxoma imaging

PurposeCardiac myxoma (CM), the most common cardiac tumor in adults, accounts for 50–75% of benign cardiac tumors. The diagnosis of CM is often elusive, especially in young stroke survivors and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is the initial technique for the differential diagnostics of CM. Less invasive cardiac computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are not available for the majority of cardiac patients. Here, a robust imaging approach, ortho-Positronium (o-Ps) imaging, is presented to determine cardiac myxoma extracted from patients undergoing urgent cardiac surgery due to unexpected atrial masses. We aimed to assess if the o-Ps atom, produced copiously in intramolecular voids during the PET imaging, serves as a biomarker for CM diagnosing.MethodsSix perioperative CM and normal (adipose) tissue samples from patients, with primary diagnosis confirmed by the histopathology examination, were examined using positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) and micro-CT. Additionally, cell cultures and confocal microscopy techniques were used to picture cell morphology and origin.ResultsWe observed significant shortening in the mean o-Ps lifetime in tumor with compare to normal tissues: an average value of 1.92(02) ns and 2.72(05) ns for CM and the adipose tissue, respectively. Microscopic differences between tumor samples, confirmed in histopathology examination and micro-CT, did not influenced the major positronium imaging results.ConclusionsOur findings, combined with o-Ps lifetime analysis, revealed the novel emerging positronium imaging marker (o-PS) for cardiovascular imaging. This method opens the new perspective to facilitate the quantitative in vivo assessment of intracardiac masses on a molecular (nanoscale) level.

Case series of rare primary cardiac sarcomas: A challenging histopathological diagnosis

Primary cardiac sarcomas are rare and histologically diverse, with single tumors able to demonstrate histological heterogeneity. Consequently, they are often misdiagnosed as other common cardiac tumors, such as cardiac myxoma or other metastatic malignancies. Incorrect diagnoses can result in incomplete surgeries, inadequate treatment regimens, and early recurrence. In our experience, based on the diverse histological and cytological characteristics of these tumors, immunostaining panels should be used early on to differentiate the exact tumor type. SMA, CD31, myogenin, ERG, and SOX10 panels are used to identify spindle-shaped or polymorphic cell patterns, while CK, LCA, S100, and desmin panels are used for round and monomorphic cell patterns. Using these panels can help identify the histological type of primary cardiac sarcomas, which is normally a challenge for pathologists.

Non-destructive diagnostic testing of cardiac myxoma by serum confocal Raman microspectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis.

The symptoms of cardiac myxoma (CM) mainly occur when the tumor is growing, and the diagnosis is determined by clinical presentation. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that specific blood tests are useful in CM diagnosis. Raman spectroscopy (RS) has emerged as a promising auxiliary diagnostic tool because of its ability to simultaneously detect multiple molecular features without labelling. The objective of this study was to identify spectral markers for CM, one of the most common benign cardiac tumors with insidious onset and rapid progression. In this study, a preliminary analysis was conducted based on serum Raman spectra to obtain the spectral differences between CM patients (CM group) and healthy control subjects (normal group). Principal component analysis-linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA) was constructed to highlight the differences in the distribution of biochemical components among the groups according to the obtained spectral information. Principal component analysis was combined with a support vector machine model (PCA-SVM) based on three different kernel functions (linear, polynomial, and Gaussian radial basis function (RBF)) to resolve spectral variations between all study groups. The results showed that CM patients had lower serum levels of phenylalanine and carotenoid than those in the normal group, and increased levels of fatty acids. The resulting Raman data was used in a multivariate analysis to determine the Raman range that could be used for CM diagnosis. Also, the chemical interpretation of the spectral results obtained is further presented in the discussion section based on the multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) method. These results suggest that RS can be used as an adjunct and promising tool for CM diagnosis, and that vibrations in the fingerprint region can be used as spectral markers for the disease under study.

A Case Report of an Extensively Ossified Left Atrial Myxoma

A cardiac myxoma, a rare but relatively common cardiac tumor, was surgically excised. Histopathological examination of the lesion revealed an extensive internal ossification. Ossification of the interior of myxomas is rarely reported, and most are large tumors; however, this is a rare case of a small tumor. The cause of ossification has not yet been clearly reported.

Robot-assisted endoscopic removal of a huge tricuspid valve myxoma: case report

BackgroundCardiac myxoma is the most common benign cardiac tumor. Its tremendous size and fragile character severely bother the surgeons. Several minimal invasive approaches had been applied for radical tumor excision. The wound was forcibly enlarged for en-bloc specimen removal and prevention of debris sputtering.Case presentationWe reported a case of huge tricuspid valve (TV) myxoma managed by robot-assisted endoscopic tumor resection and TV repair, with initial presentation of worsening shortness of breath for two months. The tumor was downsized with a morcellator and removed through a keyhole wound (1.1 cm in diameter). The patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged after four days.ConclusionsWith the first morcellator application, this might be the smallest surgical wound reported after the removal of a huge cardiac myxoma. The ICU and hospital stays were shortened. This might be effectively applied to further minimally invasive surgeries for cardiac tumor excision.

Pediatric Cardiac Tumors: Echocardiographic Imaging Features

Cardiac tumors (CTs) in children are very rare, but their diagnosis is crucial for patient management. Echocardiography is the most commonly used cardiovascular imaging modality in clinical practice for the initial diagnosis of CTs in pediatric patients. Knowing the echocardiographic characteristics of CTs can enable an increasingly early diagnosis and the identification of its most likely etiology. Primary and benign CTs are the most frequent types in the pediatric population. Among benign CTs, the most frequent in fetuses and neonates are rhabdomyomas and teratomas. In children and adolescents, rhabdomyomas and fibromas are more common. Here we describe the echocardiographic characteristics of the most common CTs in pediatric patients

Imaging of pediatric cardiac tumors: A COG Diagnostic Imaging Committee/SPR Oncology Committee White Paper.

Cardiac tumors in children are rare and the majority are benign. The most common cardiac tumor in children is rhabdomyoma, usually associated with tuberous sclerosis complex. Other benign cardiac masses include fibromas, myxomas, hemangiomas, and teratomas. Primary malignant cardiac tumors are exceedingly rare, with the most common pathology being soft tissue sarcomas. This paper provides consensus-based imaging recommendations for the evaluation of patients with cardiac tumors at diagnosis and follow-up, including during and after therapy.

Congenital cardiac masses: a case report

BackgroundCardiac tumors in infants and children are rare. The most common cardiac tumor is rhabdomyoma, which may be associated with tuberous sclerosis. However, not all cardiac rhabdomyomas are pathognomonic for tuberous sclerosis, and not all congenital cardiac tumors are rhabdomyomas. During the prenatal period, early cardiac tumor detection provides important information about fetal wellbeing, delivery planning, and necessary postnatal care.Case presentationWe report a 36-year-old African American pregnant women. At 32 weeks 5 days gestational age, the male fetus had a fetal echocardiogram due to fetal arrhythmia. The fetal echocardiogram showed two small echogenic, RV apex and septal masses, suspicious of rhabdomyomas. After a routine pregnancy and a normal spontaneous vaginal delivery (39 weeks 1 day), the male baby was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit for further monitoring and postnatal evaluation.ConclusionsRhabdomyomas are extremely rare and unique tumors. These tumors are very dangerous, but they usually regress after birth. During the prenatal period, early cardiac tumor detection provides important information about fetal wellbeing, delivery planning, and necessary postnatal care. We present this case to share our findings with our pediatric colleagues. Although a rarely reported case, we hope this cardiac rhabdomyoma case report and literature review can increase cardiac tumor awareness.