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Clinical Features and Diagnosis

Burton A. Sandok, MD; Irene von Estorff; Emilio R. Giuliani, MD

Arch Neurol. 1980;37(8):485-488.

Abstract
• The records of 40 patients with pathologically verified atrial myxoma identified during the period 1957 to 1977 were studied. The patients ranged in age from 17 to 77 years; women predominated by a ratio of 3:1. Thirty-five patients had left atrial myxoma, three patients had right atrial myxoma, one patient had bilateral myxomas, and one patient had a right atrial myxoma and subsequent removal of a left atrial myxoma. Ten of the 37 patients (27%) with left atrial myxoma had at least one neurologic event suggesting ischemia secondary to embolization. Transient or permanent ischemic events were noted in the cerebral hemispheres, brainstem, cerebellum, retina, and spinal cord. Although some patients were seen at the initial evaluation with primarily neurologic events, cardiac and constitutional symptoms dominated the clinical picture. Echocardiography and sector scanning provide a practical method for early clinical diagnosis.

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Neurology and the Cerebrovascular Clinical Research Center (Dr Sandok), the Mayo Medical School (Ms Estorff), and the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and Internal Medicine (Dr Giuliani), Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minn.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication Nov 2, 1979.

Reprint requests to Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Rochester, MN 55901 (Dr Sandok).

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