Pulmonary edema of an unexpected cause

Atrial myxoma is rarely seen in practice. We report a 67-year-old female who presented with acute cardiac insufficiency and pulmonary edema. Cardiac murmur was not detected on precordial examination. Urgent echocardiography, however, revealed atrial myxoma causing mitral valve obstruction. We point out that a normal cardiac examination does not exclude atrial myxoma. The diagnosis may be delayed until significant myocardial dysfunction occurs, as reported here. The clinical presentation of cardiac myxoma is discussed, along with appropriate investigations and treatment.