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Published on: June 4, 2021

Cardiac papillary fibroelastoma presenting as acute stroke

Atif Saleem Abbasi1, Mark Da Costa, Terry Hennessy

  • 1Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Limerick, Limerick, Ireland. atifabbasi655@hotmail.com

BMJ Case Reports
|June 14, 2013
PubMed

Insights

A young woman experienced an acute stroke, later diagnosed as a cardiac papillary fibroelastoma on her mitral valve. Surgical removal led to full recovery, highlighting this rare tumor as a potential stroke cause.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Neurology
  • Pathology

Background:

  • Cerebrovascular events in young adults often lack clear risk factors.
  • Cardiac tumors are an uncommon cause of embolic stroke.

Observation:

  • A young woman presented with acute stroke symptoms without typical risk factors.
  • Echocardiography revealed a mass on the mitral valve anterior leaflet.
  • Transesophageal echocardiography confirmed a cardiac tumor.

Findings:

  • Histopathology confirmed the mitral valve mass as a cardiac papillary fibroelastoma.
  • The patient underwent successful surgical resection of the tumor.

Implications:

  • Cardiac papillary fibroelastoma should be considered in young stroke patients.
  • Early diagnosis and surgical intervention can lead to complete recovery.
  • This case underscores the importance of cardiac imaging in cryptogenic stroke evaluation.

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