Primary Cardiac Tumours in Infancy and Childhood:A Review and Six Case Reports

Primary cardiac tumours are rarities in infants and children. We have had 6 patients, aged 17 days to 10 years, with primary cardiac tumours: 1 had a fibroma, 1 had a myxoma, 2 had an haemangioma and 2 had a rhabdomyoma. Correct diagnosis was missed pre-operatively in 3 cases and finally established at autopsy. Three of the patients underwent cardiac operation-one of them unsuccessfully. At surgery the main difficulties were with tumour infiltration and the multifocal nature of some tumours. We conclude that the echo- and angiocardiography are essential tools in the diagnosis of primary cardiac tumours. Large tumours or conduction tissue infiltration means an extremely poor prognosis. Multifocal cardiac tumours can be successfully removed, even in newborn babies, and the outcome for the patients is also affected by other important factors, e.g. tuberous sclerosis in rhabdomyomas.