STEMI and NSTEMI ACS in a 30-Year-Old Patient: An Extremely Rare Complication of a Left Atrial Myxoma

Heart Surg Forum. 2017 Jun 30;20(3):E116-E118. doi: 10.1532/hsf.1607.

Abstract

Primary cardiac tumors are a rare entity whose incidence in the general population ranges from 0.0017% to 0.28%. Myxomas represent nearly half of all primary benign cardiac tumors and they prevalently affect female patients. Embolic manifestation is rare with a reported incidence of 0.06%.We present the case of a 30-year-old male patient with acute anterolateral infarction caused by total occlusion of the left anterior descending artery as a consequence of a left atrial myxoma embolization. Urgent surgical resection of the mass didn't avoid early recurrence of atrial myxoma, whose second presentation was again myocardial infarction.This case alerts physicians to "unusual" myocardial infarction patients, when atherosclerotic pathogenesis appears unlikely. In these cases early echocardiographic evaluation should be mandatory and atrial myxoma should be considered among the possible causes. Complete surgical resection is the only effective therapeutic option to improve prognosis; the chance of tumor recurrence should dictate careful research for additional myxomas during surgery and stricter follow-up planning.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cardiac Surgical Procedures / methods
  • Coronary Angiography
  • Echocardiography
  • Electrocardiography
  • Heart Atria*
  • Heart Neoplasms / complications*
  • Heart Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Heart Neoplasms / surgery
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Myxoma / complications*
  • Myxoma / diagnosis
  • Myxoma / surgery
  • Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / pathology*
  • Non-ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction / diagnosis
  • Non-ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction / etiology*
  • Rare Diseases*
  • ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction / diagnosis
  • ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction / etiology*