Incidences and surgical aspects of cardiac myxomas in Bulgaria

63 patients with cardiac tumors underwent operative treatment between January 1970 and December 1988. Three additional patients refused the operation, despite the large left atrial myxomas and obstruction of the mitral valve, recognized by echocardiography. 62 patients had benign tumors: the only malignant neoplasm was a fibrosarcoma, originating from the right ventricle. Myxomas were found in 57 patients: 54 were located in the left and 2 in the right atrium. In one case the myxoma originated from the left ventricle. The hospital mortality of the 22 patients who underwent excision of cardiac myxomas between 1970 and 1984 was 18.18% (4 deaths), and 2.44% (1 death) of 41 patients operated on from 1984 to 1988 for cardiac tumors (35 of them with myxomas). During the follow-up time of 6 to 140 months, recurrence of myxomas occurred in only one patient, 4 years after surgery for multifocal myxoma in the left atrium. Surgical excision of the myxoma is the only acceptable therapy able to cure. Without surgical treatment, the medium and long-term prognosis is fatal. Therefore once the cardiac myxoma is identified by two-dimensional echocardiography, the tumor should be removed even in patients without symptoms. The removal of myxomas doesn't require excision of the full thickness of the interatrial septum or ventricular wall. The risk of postoperative arrhythmias after extensive excision increases. Conduction disturbances may be related to the resection of a large area of the atrial septum or wall. No recurrences have been registered after less radical procedures-- removal with excision only of the underlying endocard.