Cardiac tumors

Two cases in which large intramural ventricular cardiac fibromas were successfully re-moved from children are reported. In one the fibroma was principally septal, and in the other it lay in the free wall of the left ventricle. These are the second and third such operations reported. A review of these two cases plus 34 other reported cases of cardiac fibroma indicates that a primary mural tumor of the heart should be suspected in patients, particularly children, with unexplained cardiac failure, unexplained cardiac dysrhythmia, intracardiac calcifications, irregular shadows on roentgenograms, or unexplained newly developing cardiac symptoms and murmurs. Angiocardiography is the best way of con-firming the diagnosis. In view of the potential hazard of these tumors, their surgical removal should be undertaken, and this experience indicates that even very large and extensive intramural ventricular tumors may be removed successfully