[A case of cardiac myxoma presenting with multiple cerebellar hemorrhages and elevation of interleukin-6 in the cerebrospinal fluid].

We report a 25-year old man with cardiac myxoma presenting with multiple cerebellar hemorrhages and elevation of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The patient was first admitted to our hospital because of cerebral infarctions at the age of 23. After systemic exploration he was diagnosed as cardiac myxoma. In this patient, the serum level of IL-6 was elevated. The cardiac myxoma was resected and the serum IL-6 level returned to normal. His neurological symptoms improved almost to normal and he was discharged. The patient had been well for two years until he developed headache at the age of 25. Brain MRI revealed multiple cerebellar hemorrhages that overlaid old infarctions. The hemorrhages enlarged in a three months period and his headache became worse, and then he was admitted again. The IL-6 value was normal in serum at that time, but it was elevated in the CSF. The CSF IgG index was also elevated. Cerebral angiograms showed no abnormal vessel in the infratentorium, while multiple fusiform aneurysms were found in both middle cerebral arteries. A transesophageal echocardiography revealed no recurrence of cardiac myxoma. Craniotomy was performed and intracerebellar hematomas were removed. Histopathological examination showed only old and recent bleedings; no metastatic myxoma tissue was found. Although no myxoma tissue was found in biopsy specimen, it seemed reasonable that an elevated level of IL-6 in the CSF was due to metastasized intracranial myxoma, which caused cerebellar embolism, and then invaded the vessel walls and continued to grow. In reviewing the literature we have found no reported case of cardiac myxoma with analysis of IL-6 value in the CSF. We speculate that the level of IL-6 in the CSF might be a good marker for the neurological manifestations of cardiac myxoma.