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Primary cardiac tumors in children: a center's experience
Liyang Ying1, Ru Lin1, Zhan Gao1
1Department of Cardiac Surgery Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Binsheng Load 3333#, Hangzhou, 310003, PR China.
Insights
Primary cardiac tumors in children are rare but can be serious. Complete surgical resection offers a valuable treatment option, with rhabdomyoma being the most common type found in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Cardiovascular Surgery
Background:
- Primary cardiac tumors are rare, with an autopsy frequency of 0.001-0.030%, potentially causing sudden death.
- This study focuses on the characteristics and outcomes of pediatric patients with primary cardiac tumors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of pediatric patients diagnosed with primary cardiac tumors.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of surgical intervention for these rare conditions in children.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective review of 16 pediatric patients treated for primary cardiac tumors between January 2000 and December 2014.
- Diagnosis was confirmed using echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT).
- Surgical management included complete or partial resection of the cardiac mass, often utilizing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).
Main Results:
- Complete resection of the cardiac mass was achieved in 15 out of 16 patients.
- Fifteen patients recovered well post-operatively; one patient died due to low cardiac output syndrome.
- Rhabdomyoma was the most frequent tumor type, followed by myxoma and fibroma. No malignant tumors were identified.
Conclusions:
- Echocardiography is a reliable tool for assessing cardiac anatomy and function in pediatric patients with tumors.
- Complete surgical resection is a beneficial treatment for cardiac masses, even in asymptomatic children.
- Rhabdomyoma, myxoma, and fibroma are the predominant types of primary cardiac tumors in the pediatric population.
Background:
Cardiac tumors which may induce sudden death are rare entities with an autopsy frequency of 0.001-0.030 %. This study aims to analyze the characteristics and outcome of pediatric patients with primary cardiac tumors treated in our center.
Methods:
Sixteen patients with primary cardiac tumors treated at our center between January 2000 and December 2014 were included into this retrospective review. The patients' age ranged from 1 day to 13 years (mean age, 46 months), with weight ranging from 3.2 to 45 kg (mean weight 17.5 kg). All patients were diagnosed by echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography.
Results:
We did complete resection of the mass in 15 patients with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), whereas partial resection was done in one patient. Fifteen children recovered well, and one patient died of low cardiac output syndrome at 5 days after operation. Rhabdomyoma was the most frequent tumor type, followed by myxoma, fibroma, hemangioma; No malignant tumors were found.
Conclusions:
Echocardiography has provided consistent assessment of anatomy and function. Complete surgical resection is valuable treatment for cardiac mass when detected even in asymptomatic patients. Rhabdomyoma is the most frequent tumor type, followed by myxoma and fibroma.
