Growth rate of left atrial myxoma.

C ardiac myxomas, usually benign, arise from multipotential mesenchymal cells in the heart.’ In the past, cardiac myxoma could only be diagnosed at With the present widespread use of angiography and echocardiography, a correct diagnosis can be made during life, and surgery may be performed.34 The reported time elapsed between the onset of symptoms and the correct diagnosis ranges from 2 to 84 months.3 There are also some reports dealing with the time span between first operation and recurrent myxoma, which varies from seven months to more than ten years;#{176}8 however, little is known about the rate of growth of the tumor from its inception.