Open AccessSUDDEN DEATH SYNDROME CAUSED BY CARDIAC TUMOR
Author(s) -
Dusica Petrovic Rodic
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
medicinski časopis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.102
H-Index - 4
eISSN - 2406-0380
pISSN - 0350-1221
DOI - 10.5937/mckg54-25547
Subject(s) - myxoma , autopsy , medicine , immunohistochemistry , sudden cardiac death , pathology , primary tumor , cardiac surgery , clinical significance , cardiac tumors , surgery , radiology , metastasis , cancer
Cardiac tumors are rare (occurring in 0.002-0.3% of autopsies) in all age groups, but they are of clinical relevance due to the affected organ (1). They are classified into primary (benign and malignant) and secondary (metastatic). Myxoma is the most common primary benign cardiac tumor which is usually derived from the multipotent mesenchymal cells of the septum within the left atrium, and due to its localization, it can be considered as "functionally malignant". In autopsy series, it accounts for approximately 50% and in surgical series for up to 80% of all primary cardiac tumors (2). This paper presents a case of cardiac myxoma which is echocardiographically diagnosed in a 34-year-old woman who died suddenly, several days before the scheduled surgery. The diagnosis of the disease was confirmed after the autopsy, by a routine haematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining method and an additional immunohistochemistry method (IHC). By presenting a rare clinical case, we emphasize the fact that every diagnosed cardiac tumor requires immediate cardiac surgery without delay.
Keywords: cardiac tumors, myxoma, autopsy