Myxoma of the heart is one of the most common neoplasms. In some cases, this disorder occurs due to a hereditary predisposition. A heart tumor - myxoma - is most common among women over the age of 40 and young men.
Pathogenesis of the disease
The most common benign heart tumor in adults is myxoma, in children - rhabdimioma.
This disease has variable clinical manifestations, since the causes of its occurrence may be:
Human papillomavirus.
Einstein-Barr.
Herpes.
Heart tumors are extremely rare. They are of two types:
Primary tumors originate in the cells of the connective and supporting tissue, in the walls, ventricles of the heart. Most of them are benign.
Secondary form if tumors exist near the heart. Harmful cells can also come from distant organs through the blood.
In 90% of all cases, myxoma is localized in the left atrium. In some cases, this disease occurs in combination with others, such as adrenal gland diseases or benign skin tumors.
Myxoma of the heart can be inherited, therefore, people with a risk of its occurrence need an annual examination.
The clinical picture of the disease
The signs are very diverse and depend on the location and size of the tumor. A neoplasm can lead to malfunctions of the heart. If the tumor is located in the walls, then heart failure can occur.
Classic signs of the disease:
persistent breathing problems;
dizziness;
heart palpitations;
shortness of breath during any physical activity;
chest pain;
paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea;
sudden death.
May cause general weakness. A tumor can affect the function of the heart valves, or a small part of it can come off and enter the lungs, brain and clog a blood vessel with a blood stream. In this case, the patient expects a stroke - this is the first sign that a person has a myxoma of the heart. Symptoms manifest themselves in different ways, the following additional symptoms may occur:
Also, when a heart rhythm disturbance occurs, fainting and seizures are possible. But they appear very rarely.
Among the victims who discovered a secondary form of the disease, there was weight loss, excessive sweating.
Basic methods for detecting a disease
The best and easiest diagnostic method is an ultrasound scan of the heart called professional echocardiography. With its help, you can see the size of the tumor, position and mobility.
There are two ways to do this research:
Using an ultrasound probe through the chest. The method is well suited to find out where the myxoma of the heart is located. Diagnosis also determines the size of the tumor.
The second option is the so-called transesophageal echocardiography. During the procedure, a small ultrasound probe is inserted through the mouth into the esophagus. This examination is performed under mild anesthesia to rule out a gag reflex. This procedure is also suitable for the diagnosis of malignant tumors such as sarcoma.
Currently, more and more often resort to the use of computed and magnetic resonance imaging for examination of the heart.
To confirm the diagnosis of atrial myxoma, doctors recommend passing several tests:
Differential diagnosis
Myxoma of the heart requires a thorough medical examination. Including a procedure such as a study of pulmonary ventilation and perfusion by scanning is needed. It is carried out in order to exclude pulmonary embolism as the main cause of the disease.
Differential diagnosis is necessary to distinguish symptoms from other medical conditions, such as:
Open heart surgery
The best and most reasonable way of therapy is the complete removal of myxoma of the heart through surgical intervention. If the doctor offers you surgery, you should not think too long. To avoid complications, treatment must be carried out in a timely manner.
This type of surgical intervention is the most common method. Open heart surgery includes:
Bypass surgery.
Valvuloplasty.
Replace the valves.
Transplantation.
Surgery to correct congenital heart defects.
In the United States, surgeons perform approximately 750,000 open heart surgeries each year. This procedure requires general anesthesia and hospital stay, which is three to ten days, depending on the operation. In some cases, the patient is hospitalized for more than one month.
Surgical procedures
For open heart surgery, the surgeon makes a long incision in the longitudinal direction along the upper part of the sternum through the skin and tissues underneath, and then saws it to enter the chest cavity. Special retractors keep it open. In order to reach the heart, the surgeon must open the pericardium, a protective pericardial bag surrounding the heart.
Often, it is left open after the operation is completed. This is necessary to reduce the time of surgery and reduce the risk of postoperative complications.
For surgical intervention, the following conditions must be met:
After the operation is completed, the surgeon restores the process of blood circulation through the heart. Doctors lower a person’s body temperature to slow down body functions. Then restore blood circulation and heart contractions. The surgeon puts stitches where necessary (they will be noticeable for several years).
After the myxoma of the heart was removed, the operation was successful, the patient is sent to the ward for further observation.
What complications can a patient have?
Surgical intervention does not always go without complications. Sometimes a second operation is needed. Removing myxoma of the heart requires a good team of surgeons and other doctors so that everything goes at the highest level.
Complications during surgery:
Bleeding due to anticoagulants.
Air embolism during cardiopulmonary bypass, which can lead to a stroke.
Difficulty restoring heart rate.
The surgeon’s mistake.
Unexpected anatomical anomalies not previously detected.
General complications can occur even after surgery:
Bleeding at the site of surgery or on the surface of surgical sutures.
Infections
Blood clots that can cause pulmonary embolism, stroke.
Arrhythmia.
Hypertension and heart failure.
In order to quickly respond to any of the above complications, the patient is left under the supervision of medical personnel of cardiac surgical intensive care for 12–48 hours.
What will happen if you do not resort to surgery?
Many patients refuse surgery. The main cause of failure is the fear of death on the surgical table. But if it is not done, myxoma of the heart will lead to a number of complications:
Peripheral embolism.
Arrhythmia.
Pulmonary edema.
The disease is a benign neoplasm localized inside the heart. Do not neglect the symptoms, as this can lead to serious consequences.
Although the tumor is benign, this does not mean that it does not need to be treated. The growth of a neoplasm inside the heart can limit the flow of blood through the mitral valve and lead to various indicators of mitral stenosis.
If you or any member of your family has signs of illness, contact your healthcare provider immediately.
Prospects and lifestyle changes
Predictions after open heart surgery depend largely on the cause of the invasion. After two months, many people return to their usual activities, but visiting a doctor is mandatory. The likelihood of complications decreases over time.
On the contrary, many people need to make some changes in their lifestyle. As a rule, this applies to food and exercise. Cardiologists recommend that you follow a diet and conduct daily workouts that are determined individually.