[Ischemic strokes related to benign primitive cardiac tumours]

Abstract

Background: We report three cases of ischemic cardioembolic strokes related to benign primary cardiac tumours (two fibromas and one fibroelastoma).

Case reports: This is a retrospective study over a five years period (from December 2004 to December 2009) in a French community hospital. Data on hospital strokes were obtained from the informatics department. Three benign primary cardiac tumours were found as the cause of acute neurological manifestations: a 45-year-old woman with a fibroelastoma revealed by a brain infarction, a 29-year-old man with a myxoma revealed by a transient ischemic attack, and a 46-year-old woman with a myxoma revealed by a brain infarction. Rankin scores performed at least 18 months after cardiac tumour surgery were respectively of 0, 0 and 2.

Conclusion: Our study confirms that this is a rare event even if those tumours seem to have a high embolic potential (myxomas). Anyway, long-term functional outcome seems to be good.