Stroke as the first manifestation of an atrial myxoma. Review of the literature

Abstract

Cardiac myxoma (CM) is the most common benign tumor of the heart and an important etiology of stroke in young adults. The study aimed to provide the latest literature data on CMs and, in particular, on the association between CM and cardioembolic ischemic stroke. It also discussed a specific instance of atrial myxoma (AM) in a young patient who suffered an ischemic stroke linked with familial cavernomatosis. The case presentation focuses on a 43-year-old woman showed up at the hospital’s Emergency Room for transient speech disorders lasting about 15 minutes. The physical examination revealed preserved mental and cognitive status. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed three areas of microvascular ischemia (frontal, parietal, and left occipital), in addition to multiple cavernomatous lesions. Because these microvascular ischemias were located in different vascular territories, we considered the cause to be embolic and completed the investigation with a transesophageal cardiac ultrasound that revealed a mobile and heterogeneous tumor mass in the left atrium. Histopathological investigation with immunohistochemistry proved the tumor to be a CM. The patient therapy included a multidisciplinary approach, which led to surgical excision of the tumor. The co-existence of cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) and AM might thus be coincidental or induced by a common genetic component. More cases are needed to verify or disprove the concept of a shared genetic basis for CCMs and myxoma.