Papillary fibroelastoma of the mitral valve. A rare cause of embolic events.

A 66-year-old woman was admitted to our department with an 11-month history of multiple transient ischemic attacks and strokes. A 2-dimensional echocardiographic study revealed an intracardiac tumor attached both to the chordae and to the anterolateral papillary muscle of the mitral valve. The patient underwent excision of the tumor, which necessitated concomitant mitral valve replacement. She remains free of symptoms 1 year postoperatively, with no echocardiographic evidence of recurrence of the tumor. To date, 19 cases of surgically treated papillary fibroelastomas of the mitral valve have been reported in the English-language literature. We add the description of our case to emphasize the importance of this tumor as an identifiable and curable cause of cerebral and coronary embolization. The frequent occurrence of cardiac valve tumors suggests the use of 2-dimensional echocardiography in patients who are experiencing transient ischemic attacks or strokes, as well as in those who sustain a myocardial infarction despite normal coronary arteries at angiography. When papillary fibroelastoma is diagnosed, surgical treatment must be considered because of the high risk of embolization.