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A 31 year old scuba diving instructor presented with a history of recurrent palpitations while diving to depths of 30 m. An early diastolic sound was heard on cardiac auscultation. Transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography demonstrated a large left atrial mass, attached to the interatrial septum, which prolapsed into the left ventricle during diastole. Surgical exploration of the left atrium revealed a 7.5 × 1.9 × 0.9 cm polypoid, gelatinous tumour arising from the fossa ovalis via a narrow pedicle. The lesion was excised in its entirety and subsequent histology confirmed the clinical diagnosis of left atrial myxoma. Following surgery the patient remains well.
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Supplementary materials
- Prolapse of an atrial myxoma into the apex of the left ventricle
C S R Baker, P Strike, A Deaner
Heart 2000;84:437Microsoft AVI Video of echocardiogram
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