[Intracardiac myxoma: surgical treatment with trans-septal approach]

In the last 15 years, fifty-two cases of cardiac myxoma underwent surgical excision at La Pitié Hospital-Paris. They were 19 male and 32 female aging from 16 to 75 years (mean 15 +/- 10). Symptoms were congestive heart failure (55%), constitutional syndrome (35%), peripheral embolization (25%) and syncopal episodes (7%). Echocardiographic diagnosis was done in almost all cases. 47 tumors were found in the left atrium, 4 in the right and 1 in the right ventricule. Transeptal approach was used in most of the patients and myxomas were totally removed including a part of atrial septum, requiring patch reconstruction in 35 patients. Postoperative mortality was very low (1.9%). No complications nor recurrences have been reported in the long-term follow-up.