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[Cardiac myxoma with cerebral metastases]
A Bazin1, P Peruzzi, J C Baudrillard
1Service de Neurochirurgie, Hôpital Maison-Blanche, Reims.
Insights
Metastases from a cardiac myxoma spread to the brain, a rare event. This case highlights unusual metastatic patterns of cardiac tumors, even years after treatment.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Neurology
- Oncology
Background:
- Cardiac myxomas are rare primary heart tumors, typically benign.
- Metastatic spread from cardiac myxomas is exceptionally uncommon.
- This case involves a patient with a history of cardiac myxoma intervention.
Observation:
- A 56-year-old woman presented with multiple brain metastases (cerebrum and cerebellum).
- Imaging revealed multiple high-density lesions with contrast enhancement, suggestive of metastatic neoplasms.
- Notably, the patient had no history or signs of stroke.
Findings:
- Histological examination confirmed the brain lesions were metastases originating from a cardiac myxoma.
- This represents one of only four documented cases of cardiac myxoma metastasis in the literature.
- The temporal gap of four years between cardiac intervention and metastasis is significant.
Implications:
- This case expands the understanding of cardiac myxoma metastatic potential.
- It underscores the importance of considering cardiac tumors as a source of metastatic disease, even in the absence of typical symptoms.
- Further research into the mechanisms and risk factors for cardiac myxoma metastasis is warranted.
Abstract:
A 56 year old woman developed multiple metastases in the cerebrum and cerebellum, four years after cardiac intervention on a left atrial myxoma. The absence of stroke is noteworthy. Multiple high density lesions with contrast enhancement were seen by CT scan, suggesting metastatic neoplasms. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of metastases of cardiac myxoma. Only four cases were recorded in the literature.