Differentiation of Left Atrial Myxomas by Multimodality Imaging

Abstract

A tumor is an excessive growth of cells that results from the body’s inability to balance the growth of new cells and the destruction of old cells. Tumors can occur throughout the body and are classified as either benign or malignant. However, cardiac tumors are a rare occurrence. When present, several imaging modalities are available to illustrate their presence and characteristics. Not all cardiac masses look similar and, depending on their size and location, may pose different health risks to the patient. This case series introduces six left atrial myxomas with dissimilar appearances initially detected by transthoracic echocardiography, along with cross-correlation by transesophageal echocardiography, computed tomography, and mechanical resonance imaging.