Myxoma of the left atrium.

A case of intra-atrial miyxoma manifested clinically by evidences of mitral stenosis and peripheral emboli is presented in detail. The diagnosis was made during life and confirmed by angiocardiog-raphy. The surgical procedure, attempted as a last resort, is described, as are the postmortem findings. This case points the way to possible surgical cure in similar lesions. TO DATE, approximately 350 primary tumors of the heart have been reported. Prichard and Mahaim's reviews1' 2 of the subject are notable. Approximately 126 of the reported primary cardiac tumors were myxomas, while 114 were sarcomas.' 3 Only five (all sarcomas) have been diagnosed correctly during life,4-8 and in no case was angio-cardiography employed. The surgical removal of an intracardiac tumor has not as yet been reported although the possibility of such a procedure has been speculated upon.9 The following report is concerned with the clinical, operative and pathologic findings in a 312 year old child with a myxoma of the left atrium. In this patient the lesion was suspected on the basis of clinical findings, established with reasonable certainty by angiocardiography, and proved at surgery and subsequent postmortem examination.