Surgically Treated Left Ventricular Myxomas: A 75-Year Systematic Review of Patient Demographics, Tumour...

Cardiac myxomas are rare primary heart tumours, most commonly originating in the left atrium. A smaller proportion occurs in the left ventricle, where they are even more uncommon and present unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. This systematic review aims to characterize the clinical features, management strategies, and outcomes of left ventricular cardiac myxomas.

A systematic search of the PubMed database was conducted to identify articles published up to May 2025. A total of 174 cases of surgically treated left ventricular myxomas were included. Data were extracted on patient demographics, tumour characteristics, surgical approaches, and follow-up outcomes.

Patients showed a broad geographic distribution, with the highest number of cases reported from the United States. The mean age was 38.2 ± 20.37 years, with a slight female predominance (48.9%). Tumours were most commonly attached to the left ventricular wall (43.7%) and inter-ventricular septum (25.3%). Complete surgical excision was achieved in 92.5% of cases and was strongly associated with survival; nearly all patients with complete resection survived, compared to only 20% among those without. Overall postoperative survival was high (83.9%), with a low mortality rate (2.9%). Survival rates were comparable across genders and age groups, although paediatric patients had a slightly higher mortality rate (9.1%).

This systematic review represents the most comprehensive analysis to date of surgically treated left ventricular myxomas. The findings highlight the importance of complete excision in achieving favourable outcomes and highlight demographic and geographic patterns that can inform clinical suspicion, surgical planning, and patient counselling.