An unusual cause of heart failure in a young female: a case of massive left atrial mxyoma

Benign cardiac tumors are rare; they can present with nonspecific symptoms and represent a diagnostic challenge to the clinician. We describe an interesting case of a 26-year-old female who presented with a 6-month history of cough, breathlessness, palpitations, dizziness, and fever. Despite repeated clinical reviews in the community, diagnosis of cardiac tumor was not made until she developed decompensated cardiac failure with bilateral pleural effusions and pulmonary edema. Echocardiogram revealed an enormous left atrial mass that extended one-third into left ventricle during systole. The patient underwent successful surgical resection with histological confirmation of a benign atrial myxoma.