Giant Cardiac Cavernous Hemangioma

Rheumatism as a cause of cardiac hemangioma: a rare case report and review of literature with special focus on etiology

BACKGROUND

Cardiac hemangioma is a very rare benign tumor of the heart which accounts for 1-2% of all primary cardiac tumors. Multiple cardiac hemangiomas are even rarer with only three cases published in the literature. Pathologically it can be divided into cavernous hemangioma, capillary hemangioma, arteriovenous hemangioma, mixed-type hemangioma, and so on. At present, the etiology of cardiac hemangioma is not completely clear. In this study, we present multiple cardiac hemangiomas located in the right atrium and discuss the new unreported possible cause (rheumatism) of cardiac hemangioma. This is the fourth case of multiple cardiac hemangiomas in the medical literature and the first time to present rheumatism as the cause of cardiac hemangioma.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 53-year-old man presented to the clinic with intermittent chest tightness and shortness of breath for 2 years. On echocardiography, multiple soft tissue masses in the right atrium were found. The patient had rheumatic heart disease with severe mitral stenosis and moderate tricuspid regurgitation. Two masses with a diameter of about 20 mm and 15 mm were seen in the right atrium. One mass was located on the inferior margin of the fossa ovalis and the other was adjacent to the inferior vena cava. Both masses were successfully removed surgically. The mitral valve replacement and tricuspid valve plasty were performed at the same time. The postoperative histopathology results confirmed the diagnosis of cavernous hemangioma.

CONCLUSION

The occurrence of multiple hemangiomas in the heart is possible, especially in the presence of rheumatism. Rheumatism is one of the possible etiologies of cardiac hemangioma. Cardiologists and cardiac surgeons should be aware of its occurrence and should consider cardiac hemangioma as a differential diagnosis especially in rheumatic heart disease patients when they present with soft tissue cardiac masses for accurate management.

A Giant Cardiac Cavernous Hemangioma Involving the Left Atrial Roof in an Elderly Woman

Cardiac tumors are relatively rare, with primary hemangiomas being a particularly rare benign neoplasm. Herein, we report a case of a symptomatic cardiac tumor detected via echocardiography in an 82-year-old woman. Although we performed advanced imaging examinations for her heart, we could not diagnose the tumor before surgery. Eventually, a tumor involving the left atrial roof was detected, and it was completely resected to relieve her symptoms and establish a precise diagnosis. Histopathological examination indicated a cardiac cavernous hemangioma. The patient exhibited an uneventful recovery without any complications.

A Giant Cavernous Hemangioma of the Left Atrioventricular Groove

A 10-year-old Chinese female diagnosed with an asymptomatic giant cardiac cavernous hemangioma was reported. The patient originally tended to observation because this unusual cardiac tumoral mass was discovered incidentally during routine health examination of transthoracic echocardiography. Over 5 years of follow-up, the mass had enlarged obviously, and the patient visited our outpatient clinic and was prone to excision. Subsequently, a total resection surgery of the tumor was performed, and the tumor was found to be located on the left atrioventricular groove with complete packing membrane. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 4 and remains asymptomatic on last follow-up.