Cardiac myxoma arising from the inferior vena cava.

A cardiac myxoma that arises from the inferior vena cava (an extremely rare finding) may interfere with caval cannulation. In such cases venous cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass has been performed directly into the inferior vena cava or through the femoral vein. We present a case in which routine cannulation through the right atrium proved safe and gave good exposure for complete resection of the tumoral mass.