Right atrial papillary fibroelastoma

Papillary fibroelastoma (PFE) is a benign cardiac tumor rarely seen in the right atrium and often misdiagnosed as atrial myxoma or thrombus. We report one such case found in the right atrium during workup in a patient presenting with transient ischemic attack (TIA). PFEs are found most frequently in the valvular endocardium of the left heart. When encountered in the right heart and symptomatic, they tend to be larger in size presumably due to a longer latent period of growth. Although histologically the tumors are benign, they have the potential for fatal complications due to their propensity to embolize.