Epithelioid haemangioma of the heart.

The authors report a case of epithelioid haemangioma (EH) of the right atrium, the first description of this tumour originating in the heart. The lesion was found incidentally during a cardiac echocardiogram and diagnosed pre-operatively as cardiac myxoma. The tumour must be differentiated from the exceptionally rare epithelioid haemangioendothelioma (EHE) of the heart and from a cardiac myxoma. A correct pathological diagnosis is clinically important since EH is a benign tumour, whereas EHE and cardiac myxoma can recur and metastasize. The uneventful follow-up of this patient confirms the benign nature of EH.