Is It Safe to Proceed with Thrombolytic Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke in a Patient with Cardiac Myxoma?

whose autoregulation is already compromised by the acute stroke, f luctuations in cerebral perfusion pressure during the prolonged cardiac surgery risks additional vascular insults. The question is not whether it is safe to proceed with thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke in a patient harboring a cardiac myxoma; rather, it is the timing of the cardiac intervention which warrants careful consideration. Dear Sir, I read with interest the recent case report by Ferreira da Silva and de Freitas [1] . The timing of cardiac surgery in a patient with concomitant cerebrovascular disease is a matter of intense debate. In a patient presenting with an acute large artery cardioembolic stroke from a left atrial myxoma as was the presumed etiology in the reported case, the decision was made to proceed with emergent peripheral vascular and cardiac surgeries. In a brain Received: August 28, 2012 Accepted: August 31, 2012 Published online: November 14, 2012