[Cardiac tumor mass. Diagnostic and therapeutic approach. Apropos of 46 cases]

The authors analyse a series of 46 operated intracardiac tumours (0.4% of all cases of cardiac surgery). The predominant symptoms were episodes of heart failure and pseudo-valvular disease. Peripheral emboli and pericardiac syndromes with tamponade occurred more rarely and constituted surgical emergencies. Non-invasive investigations, dominated by echocardiography, allow early diagnosis. The majority of tumours were situated in the left atrium and consisted, histologically, of myxomas, the surgical treatment of which consists of wide excision of the pedicle. Malignant tumours (17.7%) were dominated by cardiac sarcomas. When possible, extensive resection of these tumours may improve the chances of medium-term and long-term survival. The operative mortality was 8.8%. The delayed mortality was due to malignant tumours (17.3%). Myxomas must be followed in the long-term by systematic echocardiography. The authors observed 11% of recurrences occurring after a interval of 12 to 144 months (3 cases).