Isolated right atrial metastasis of malignant melanoma mimicking a myxoma.

Malignant melanoma is the malignancy with the highest propensity for cardiac metastasis. Metastasis to the heart usually occurs in the setting of disseminated disease and is therefore commonly associated with a poor prognosis. We report the case of a 51-year-old woman with a previous history of cutaneous malignant melanoma who presented with a symptomatic, isolated right atrial metastasis attached via a narrow stalk to the interatrial septum, thus resembling a myxoma.

Preoperative left ventricular systolic dysfunction correlates with the adverse postoperative consequences of annular-papillary disconnection in the course of mitral valve replacement for stenosis.

Background And Aims Of The Study: Preservation of chordae tendineae helps maintain ventricular performance in patients having surgery for mitral regurgitation. The importance of chordal integrity in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of chordal preservation on left ventricular function following relief of rheumatic mitral stenosis.

Long-term follow-up of St. Jude Medical prosthesis in a young rheumatic population using low-level warfarin anticoagulation: an analysis of the temporal distribution of causes of death.

This study assesses the long-term (mean 52+/-24 months) performance of the St. Jude Medical (SJM) valve in 200 young (mean age 31+/-13 years) rheumatic patients on low-level warfarin anticoagulation combined with dipyridamole. Follow-up was 95% complete and comprised 867 patient-years.

Long-term changes in left ventricular performance following mitral valve replacement for pure rheumatic mitral regurgitation.

Our data indicate that MVR, with or without chordal preservation, for pure severe MR in symptomatic younger rheumatic patients with a good preoperative ejection fraction results in normalization of LV size and performance by 1 year. Normalization of LV performance was only achieved at 1 year after surgery, and it is therefore essential to extend the assessment of LV function to at least 1 year postoperatively.