[Myxoma of the left atrium with neurologic manifestations: 8 cases]

A cohort of 8 patients with myxoma of the left atria and neurological manifestations is reported. Cerebral ischaemia, sometimes responsible for epileptic seizures, led to the discover of the myxoma (5 cases) or recurrence after exeresis (1 case) with imaging evidence of cerebral infarction in 5 cases. The first manifestation was a retinal embolism and temporary ischaemia in 1 case and pulmonary embolism with regressive cerebral ischaemia in another case with bilateral myxoma. Some clinical particularities should be underlined including exercise-induced neurological defect (3 cases), systemic embolism associated with cerebral infarction (3 cases), migraine headache as the initial manifestation (1 case) preceding by a pseudolupic syndrome suggesting the possibility of cerebral vasculitis or infectious endocarditis (1 case). The prognosis depends on the risk of recurrent atrial tumour formation (1 case). Metastases are rare. Multiple cerebral aneurysms (3 cases) did not lead to haemorrhagic complications.