When catastrophe strikes - a case of atrial myxoma with distal embolization

Primary tumors of the heart are rare, with an incidence between 0.0017 and 0.19 percent in unselected patients at autopsy. About three-quarters of these tumors are benign, and nearly half of these benign tumors are myxomas. First described in 1845, myxomas were diagnosed posthumously until the 1950s. The clinical features are determined by their size, locations and mobility. Embolism occurs in one-third of patients, but it is rare for patients to initially present with multiple, simultaneous widespread emboli.