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Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for the Evaluation of Suspected Cardiac Thrombus: Conventional and Emerging Techniques
Published on: June 11, 2019
[Ischemic strokes related to benign primitive cardiac tumours]
N Durand de Grossouvre1, J-F Rivière, E Bertandeau
1Service de neurologie, centre hospitalier François-Mitterrand, 4, boulevard Hauterive, 64046 Pau cedex, France.
Insights
Benign primary cardiac tumors, though rare, can cause cardioembolic strokes. Despite their embolic potential, surgical removal often leads to good long-term functional outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Neurology
- Oncology
Background:
- Ischemic strokes can rarely be caused by benign primary cardiac tumors.
- This study investigates three cases of cardioembolic strokes linked to cardiac fibromas and fibroelastomas.
Observation:
- A retrospective analysis of a French community hospital over five years identified three cases.
- Patients presented with brain infarction or transient ischemic attack due to cardiac tumors (fibroelastoma, myxomas).
Findings:
- Benign cardiac tumors are an uncommon cause of stroke.
- Myxomas, in particular, demonstrate a significant embolic potential.
Implications:
- Early diagnosis and surgical intervention for cardiac tumors are crucial for preventing neurological events.
- Despite the embolic risk, patients show favorable long-term functional recovery after tumor removal.
Background:
We report three cases of ischemic cardioembolic strokes related to benign primary cardiac tumours (two fibromas and one fibroelastoma).
Case Reports:
This is a retrospective study over a five years period (from December 2004 to December 2009) in a French community hospital. Data on hospital strokes were obtained from the informatics department. Three benign primary cardiac tumours were found as the cause of acute neurological manifestations: a 45-year-old woman with a fibroelastoma revealed by a brain infarction, a 29-year-old man with a myxoma revealed by a transient ischemic attack, and a 46-year-old woman with a myxoma revealed by a brain infarction. Rankin scores performed at least 18 months after cardiac tumour surgery were respectively of 0, 0 and 2.
Conclusion:
Our study confirms that this is a rare event even if those tumours seem to have a high embolic potential (myxomas). Anyway, long-term functional outcome seems to be good.
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