Surgical treatment of atrial myxomas: a report of 20 cases.

Twenty atrial myxomas were resected in 20 patients with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass, from the beginning of July 1966 through the end of June 1985, at Severance Hospital, Seoul, Korea. Nineteen patients had left atrial myxomas; 1 had a right atrial myxoma. Left atrial myxomas arose from the intra-atrial septum in 17 patients and from the left atrial appendage in 2 patients. The right atrial myxoma arose from the fossa ovalis. The 13 female and 7 male patients ranged in age from 14 to 63 years. Symptoms most often reported on presentation were those associated with mitral valve obstruction; other symptoms were associated with systemic embolization. The 1st 4 patients were tested with angiocardiography alone, and 3 of these were misdiagnosed. The last 16 were tested by angiocardiography, M-mode echocardiography, and 2-dimensional echocardiography, alone or in various combinations, and there were no further misdiagnoses. In our experience, 2-dimensional echocardiography was the most accurate method of diagnosing cardiac tumors. In 19 patients, surgical approach was through a median sternotomy; in the 20th patient, approach was through a left thoracotomy, due to a preoperative misdiagnosis of mitral stenosis. No intraoperative embolizations or deaths occurred. On follow-up of 17 patients during periods ranging from 6 months to 6 years, we had no late deaths, and only 2 patients suffered late complications: 1 had sudden right hemiparesis caused by an embolus 4 months after surgery (this improved upon conservative treatment); and 1 had a recurrence of tumor 3 years after surgery (the new myxoma was successfully resected). We conclude that patients who have undergone complete excision of benign myxomas now have an excellent prognosis, with minimal risk of intraoperative embolization and late recurrence. We conclude also that 2-dimensional echocardiography is an extremely accurate tool both in early diagnosis of intracardiac myxomas and in late follow-up after resection.