Echocardiographic History of an Asymptomatic Congenital Cardiac Tumor

A 14-year-old girl with a history of a congenital cardiac tumor presented to our echocardiography laboratory for a routine reexamination. The diagnosis had been made in our laboratory in 1991 on her seventh day of life using an old-generation ultrasound machine (SSH-40A, Toshiba Medical Systems, Tokyo, Japan). The newborn had undergone echocardiographic evaluation because of a systolic murmur. Despite the low technical quality of the images (Figure 1 and Movie I), a large mass involving the interventricular septum (4.2×1.5 cm, as measured from the apical 4-chamber view), suggestive of a congenital cardiac tumor, was visualized. Subsequent analyses had supported the diagnosis of cardiac rhabdomyoma. No other significant comorbidities, including tuberous sclerosis—a genetic condition often associated with the presence of cardiac rhabdomyoma1—had been discovered. Because of the absence of symptoms, a conservative approach was adopted. Clinical and echocardiographic follow-up during the subsequent years showed substantial tumor stability, with no development of symptoms. Figure 1. Original echocardiographic image obtained in 1991 using an old-generation ultrasound …