[A case report of papillary fibroelastoma of the aortic valve]

A 69-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with an aortic valve tumor. She had shown signs of chronic heart failure due to atrial fibrillation and hypertension for 4 years. There was no history of thromboembolism such as stroke and myocardial infarction, unaccountable fever, weight loss, and systemic symptoms. With two-dimensional echocardiography, a cardiac valve tumor was detected during a routine examination for heart failure. Echocardiographic findings showed a homogeneous mass with a diameter of approximately 1.5 cm, fixed directly to the noncoronary aortic valve cusp. During the operation, a papillary neoplasm, 1.5 by 1 cm, was observed at the midportion of the left ventricular side of noncoronary cusp without a peduncle. The tumor was excised together with all cusps. A 21-mm SJM aortic valve was implanted in position, and thereafter she remained free from symptoms. Histopathological examination of the tumor revealed benign papillary fibroelastoma. Two-dimensional echocardiography was utilized for a diagnosis of the aortic papillary fibroelastoma.