Case history
Case history #1
A 40-year-old woman presents with dyspnea that is worse when she lies on her left side. About one week ago she had an episode of unexplained loss of consciousness. Clinical examination shows a diastolic murmur, which is prominent when the patient lies on her left side. Jugular venous distention is present, and chest examination reveals fine crackles that do not clear with coughing. Chest x-ray shows pulmonary congestion, and echocardiogram shows a mass in the left atrium attached to the atrial septum.
Case history #2
A 58-year-old man presents with dyspnea. Chest x-ray shows small pleural effusion and enlarged pulmonary arteries. Echocardiogram shows large right atrial mass.
Other presentations
Patients may present with nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue, cough, low-grade fever, arthralgia, myalgia, weight loss, erythematous rash, and laboratory findings of anemia and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and gamma globulin levels. Less commonly they may have thrombocytopenia, clubbing, cyanosis, or Raynaud phenomenon. There are also case reports on of the presence of intracerebral aneurysms in association with atrial myxoma.[1]
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