Eighteen patients(13 female and five male) aged from 15 to 62 years (mean age 42.6 years) underwent excision of cardiac myxoma(17 left atrial, one right atrial) between 1985 and 1994 at Pusan National University hospital. All patients complained
of
exertional dyspnea and most had a few additional symtoms including palpitation, chest pain, syncope, general weakness, weight loss, fever, cough and epigastric discomfort. The diagnosis was made by echocardiography alone in left atrial myxomas
but
a
myxoma in right atrium was diagnosed incidentally during mitral valve replacement for rheumatic valvular heart disease. The tumor attachment sites were fossa ovalis in 13, other interatrial septum in 4 mitral valve annulus in one and free wall of
left
atrium in two cases. The tumor was excised successfully via right atriotomy in 8 and biatriotomy in 10 cases. There was no hospital nor late death, and no recurrent case during the follow up period. Curative surgical excision of cardiac myxoma
can
be
performed with low morbidity and very low recurrence rate.
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