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Updated: Mar 16, 2026
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Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for the Evaluation of Suspected Cardiac Thrombus: Conventional and Emerging Techniques
Published on: June 11, 2019
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Atrial mass: a myxoma?
Andrew C Chatzis1, Kostas Kostopanagiotou1, Theofili Kousi1
1Department of Paediatric and Congenital Cardiac Surgery Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centre Athens Greece.
Clinical Case Reports
|August 16, 2016
Summary
A right atrial mass, initially suspected as myxoma in a cancer patient, was surgically removed. Post-operative analysis confirmed it as organized thrombus, highlighting potential diagnostic challenges.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Oncology
- Pathology
Background:
- A middle-aged woman with a history of colorectal cancer and undergoing chemotherapy presented with a right atrial mass.
- The mass was provisionally diagnosed as myxoma based on imaging studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report a case of right atrial mass misdiagnosed as myxoma.
- To highlight the importance of considering organized thrombus in the differential diagnosis of atrial masses, especially in patients with risk factors.
Main Methods:
- Echocardiography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were used for initial diagnosis.
- Surgical excision of the right atrial mass was performed.
Main Results:
- Surgical removal revealed the mass to be organized thrombus, not myxoma.
- This case underscores the potential for imaging to misdiagnose atrial thrombus as myxoma.
Conclusions:
- Atrial thrombus can mimic cardiac myxoma on imaging.
- Long-term indwelling intracardiac catheters may contribute to thrombus formation, a relevant consideration in patients with cancer history.
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