Background: Cardiac tumors are a rare cause of recurrent syncope which are detected on echocardiography, computed tomographic scan, and/or magnetic resonance imaging. We present echocardiographic, anatomic, and histopathologic images of a cardiac tumor arising from the junction of the right atrium and the inferior vena cava in a young lady.
Methods: Transthoracic echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography, postmortem examination (autopsy), and histopathology.
Results: Transesophageal echocardiogram showed a 7×3-cm mobile multilobulated right atrial mass arising from the right atrial wall near the inferior vena cava. The patient was admitted to hospital to undergo cardiac surgery; however, unfortunately, she went in to cardiorespiratory arrest on the eve before surgery. Autopsy showed embolized mass obstructing the main pulmonary trunk, and pathology revealed an old organizing thrombus.
Conclusions: Cardiac thrombi can mimic appearances of a myxoma on echocardiogram. Delay in thrombus removal surgery can result in increased mortality as seen in our case.
Keywords: Cardiac imaging; Cardiac thrombus; Right atrial thrombus; Sudden death; Transesophageal echocardiography.
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