Natural history of an atrial myxoma

The case described is an 89-year-old male patient with a left atrial myxoma, first visualised in 1997, who was a poor operative candidate owing to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The tumour had a cross-sectional growth rate of only 0.2 cm2 per year and was asymptomatic over 79 months follow-up: the longest reported follow-up period of a non-calcified myxoma. The report highlights the variety of growth rates described for myxoma in the literature and raises the possibility of a conservative management approach, particularly in high-risk operative candidates.