[Cardiac fibroelastoma. Six operated cases and review of the literature].

The authors reviewed the cases of 6 patients operated between September 1994 and February 1999 for a rare benign tumour: papillary fibroelastoma of the heart. These patients, aged 51 +/- 14 years, all have single valvular involvement: mitral (N = 3), aortic (N = 2), tricuspid (N = 1). Five patients were symptomatic: transient ischaemic cerebral events (N = 3) associated with mesenteric infarction requiring ileal resection in 1 case; constituted cerebrovascular accident (N = 1); syncope (N = 1). In this last patient, the fibroelastoma was diagnosed fortuitously on the tricuspid valve. The features and location of the tumours were determined by transoesophageal echocardiography. Surgical treatment in all patients consisted in excising the tumour and preserving the valve. One aortic cusp was reconstructed after excising the tumour with a cryopreserved partial aortic homograft. Peroperative transoesophageal echocardiography confirmed the absence of regurgitation after the procedures in all patients. There were no postoperative complications in any of the cases. No cases of valvular regurgitation or of tumour recurrence were observed during follow-up. Despite the benign histology, cardiac fibroelastomas should be excised because of their embolic complications. Absence of recurrence justifies conservative reconstruction of the affected valve.