4). The patient had an uneventful postoperative course apart from an atrial fibrillation which disappeared after the use of amiodarone. He was discharged 7 days after the operation. Fig. 3 Whitish, round, and soft mass (arrow) was found on the anterior mitral valve leaflet (A) and it was completely excised from the mitral valve (B). Fig. 4 Histologic examination showed spindle-shaped cells and stellate cells in a myxoid stroma (H&E stain, × 100). Discussion Cardiac myxoma is a rare disease, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical with an incidence between 0.0017 and 0.03% in autopsy series.3),4) Myxoma can occur in nearly all age groups

but occurs frequently between the third and sixth decades of life.5),6) Sixty-five percent of cardiac myxoma occurs in women.7) About 75% of myxomas originate from the left atrium, 18% in the right atrium, and 4% in the ventricle.8) The exact incidence of myxomas originating from the mitral valve is not clear. In one study, it was reported as 1.5% (1 case

among 68 myxoma cases).9) Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Myxoma originating from the heart valve Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical was first reported by Jaleski10) in 1934, and the first premortem diagnosis of mitral valve myxoma was reported by Sandrasagra et al.11) in 1979. In Korea, only 2 cases were reported since 1994.12),13) Clinical manifestations of myxoma are determined by the location, size, mobility, and friability. Clinical manifestations can be divided into three general categories: systemic symptoms, embolism, and intracardiac obstruction. Systemic symptoms such as general weakness, fever, weight loss, arthralgia, and erythematous rash have been observed, and laboratory abnormalities such as anemia, elevations in CRP, ESR, and Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical globulin levels have also been reported in patients with

myxoma.6),14),15) Myxoma can cause an embolism by way of the tumor emboli or thromboemboli that are released from or formed on the surface of the tumor. As most myxomas are located in the left atrium, systemic embolism frequently occurs. In most cases, the cerebral arteries are affected, and embolization into Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical the renal, visceral, and coronary arteries has also been reported.8) Symptoms due to intracardiac obstruction depend on the size, mobility, Phosphoprotein phosphatase and location of the tumor. These symptoms include dyspnea, orthopnea, dizziness, syncope, and pulmonary edema. BEZ235 nmr Whether myxoma of the mitral valve causes an embolism more frequently than a myxoma originating from the left atrium is not known. Echocardiography is the most important and widely available method in the diagnosis of myxoma. Echocardiography can provide information on the location, size, shape, and mobility of a myxoma. When abnormal mass lesions are found on the heart valve, it is important to distinguish tumorous conditions from valvular vegetations. The characteristic narrow stalk is the most important feature of cardiac myxoma, and it is helpful when diagnostic confusion exists.