Primary Cardiac Tumors Operated on in Côte d’Ivoire: They Are Almost All Myxomas

Objective: Through this surgical series, we present the epidemiological and anatomical-clinical aspects and the surgical results concerning patients operated on for a primary cardiac tumor at the Abidjan Heart Institute. Materials and Method: This is a retrospective descriptive study covering the period of January 1982 to December 2022, based on the medical records of patients operated on for a primary cardiac tumor at the Abidjan Heart Institute. Results: Twenty-seven (27) patients underwent surgery for a primary cardiac tumor, including 14 women and 13 men with a mean age of 41.5 years (range 19 - 76 years). The main circumstances of discovery were exertional dyspnea, palpitation and syncope or pseudo-syncope. The main site was the septal wall of the left atrium. The diagnosis of myxoma was confirmed by pathological examination of the surgical specimen in 96.3% (n = 24) of the patients and it was a malignant large cell immunoblastic lymphoma of the myocardium in 3.7% (n = 1) of the patients. The mean largest diameter was 46.1 mm. The postoperative course was marked by an ischaemic stroke (n = 1);recurrence of a left atrial myxoma 5 years after the first tumor removal (n = 1). Two cases of death were noted, one due to the evolution of immunoblastic large cell lymphoma and the other due to an extracorporeal circulation accident. Conclusion: Almost all primary cardiac tumors operated on in Abidjan are myxomas. The circumstances of the discovery of these cardiac tumors are multiple and varied but dominated by exertional dyspnea, palpitation and syncope. Whatever their histological type, primary cardiac tumors are serious affections, in view of the haemodynamic and rhythmic disorders they cause.

The feasibility, effectiveness and safety of totally thoracoscopic resection for right atrial myxoma

Background Myxoma is the most frequent cardiac benign tumor which requires surgical removal even though in right atrium. Minimally invasive surgery has become the standard approach for removal of myxoma in our center. Herein, we report our initial experience of cardiac myxoma removal through mini-port totally thoracoscopic particular with focus on its feasibility, efficacy and short-term outcomes, as compared with median sternotomy. Methods From April 2015 to March 2019, 31 consecutive cases were ultimately identified and divided into two groups(Mini-port thoracoscopic group, n=14;versus conventional median sternotomic group, n=17). An echocardiography was routinely performed prior to discharge, at 1 st month, 6 th month, 12 th month and every year postoperatively. Retrospective analyses of perioperative data, postoperative outcomes and complications,and follow up data were performed. Results All the 31 patients successfully underwent right atrial myxoma removal surgery with no perioperative death, re-exploration for bleeding, residual mass or central nervous event in both groups. Intraoperative data from two group showed absence of significant difference except the intraoperative blood loss(150±50.01 m L in mini-port thoracoscopic group vs. 255.88±93.35 m L in conventional median sternomtomic group, P=0.01). There was no significant difference in perioperative blood transfusion and postoperative outcomes between the two groups. But the mini-port thoracoscopic group had a much less 24-hour postoperative drainage(136.71±148.20 m L vs. 341.17±211.29 m L, P=0.03). No significance difference could be identified between two groups about the incidence of postoperative morbidities and follow-up adverse events. Conclusion Totally mini-port video-assisted thoracoscopic approach for right atrial myxoma resection on peripheral cardiopulmonary bypass is feasible, effective with favorable safety in experienced cardiac center.[S Chin J Cardiol 2019;20(4):236-244]