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Successful surgical excision of a large left ventricular fibroma in a child

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2011

Marta T. António*
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital, Coimbra, Portugal
Andrew J. Powell
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital Boston, and the Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
Pedro J. del Nido
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiac Surgery, Children's Hospital Boston, and the Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
*
Correspondence to: M. T. António, Serviço de Cardiologia, Hospital Pediátrico de Coimbra – CHC, EPE, Avenida Bissaya Barreto, 3000-076 Coimbra, Portugal. Tel: 00351 239480364; Fax: 00351 239717216; E-mail: marta.antonio@gmail.com

Abstract

Primary cardiac tumours in children are rare. Despite the majority of these tumours being benign, they may cause blood flow obstruction, ventricular dysfunction, and life-threatening arrhythmias. We present a case of a 4-year-old boy with repeated presyncope episodes in whom we found a large left ventricular fibroma. Our case emphasises that surgical resection is safely feasible even with large fibromas, avoiding cardiac transplantation in childhood.

Type
Brief Reports
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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