Two decades of atrial tumour

We have reported 19 patients with atrial tumour. The long follow-up(5–19 years, mean 10 years) of the 17 patients with leftatrial myxoma has been described. No patient showed evidenceof recurrence of the tumour, although three patients have unexplainedshadows—probably artifactual—on echocardiography.The limitations ofechocardiography and importance of clinicalindicators are stressed. One patient had a rhabdomyosarcoma of the left atrium and diedone year after operation. Certain features differentiated thispatient from those with myxoma. It is concluded that true atrial myxoma does not metastasize.Reports in the literature of metastasizing left atrial myxomaprobably refer to malignant tumours simulating myxoma. Variationsfrom the typical clinical and haemodynamic picture of atrialmyxoma should arouse suspicion of malignancy. Careful microscopicexamination of the tumour is essential.