[Echocardiography of an operated case of a myxoma of the tricuspid valve].

The case of a 6 year old child with a tricuspid valve myxoma is presented. Early diagnosis by echocardiography, confirmed by angiography, resulted in surgical cure before any symptoms appeared. This is the only reported echocardiographic study of a myxoma inserted on the tricuspid valve found in a review of the literature of 6 cases of right ventricular myxoma. The tricuspid valves were found to be thickened and prolapsed into the right atrium. The amplitude of excursion of the anterior leaflet was greatly increased, its mass projecting into the right ventricular outflow tract in diastole and remaining there until the end of right ventricular ejection. The echocardiographic signs localising the precise origin of the tumor in the tricuspid valve are developed. The differential diagnosis with right atrial myxoma prolapsing into the ventricular cavity, benign and malignant right ventricular tumours and tricuspid valve vegetations is discussed. The precision of the diagnostic information obtained by echocardiography suggests that angiography may not be essential any longer, especially when the risk of embolisation and acute obstruction are taken into consideration.