Primary Cardiac Myolipoma - Initial Description and Further Follow-up

Introduction: Regarding a prevalence rate of 0.001 - 0.28%, primary cardiac tumors are a rarity. About 25% of primary heart tumors are malignant with 75% of them being sarcomas. Herein we report a 48-years old male suffering from a primary cardiac myolipoma. This is an initial description - a comparable histopathological typus has not been described yet.

Case Report: A 48-year old male was referred from his general practitioner to a cardiologist due to an abnormal ECG. Echocardiography revealed a large right atrial or intrapericardial tumor, immuring the superior caval vein and nearly completely compressing the right atrial cavum. Cardiac MRI-scan confirmed these findings and the patient was referred to cardiac surgery. During surgery, the whole free wall of the right atrium, the roof of the left atrium, the interatrial septum and the superior caval vein were resected. Subsequently, complex reconstruction using several bovine pericardial patches was performed. The specimen was sent for histopathologic examination. Here, a benign tumor consisting of cardiac muscle and fat cells by means of a primary cardiac myolipoma was diagnosed. Further postoperative course and 1-year follow-up were uneventful.

Discussion: A primary cardiac myolipoma has not been described until now. This case report is an initial description of a thitherto unknown kind of infiltrative growing benign cardiac tumor.