[Floating right atrial thrombus as the cause of recurring pulmonary embolisms].

After an attack of pleuropneumonia a 25-year-old woman developed persistent dyspnoea due to pulmonary emboli, as demonstrated by scintigraphy. There was no clinical or phlebographic evidence of the peripheral venous system as the source. Two-dimensional echocardiography demonstrated a floating spherical tumour in the right atrium, attached to the interatrial septum and prolapsing into the right ventricle during ventricular diastole. Because of the risk of further thromboembolic episodes the tumour was removed operatively without any complication. It proved to be myxoma-like, 3 x 3 cm in diameter. Histologically it was a thrombus without evidence of myxoma. No further thromboemboli occurred under phenprocoumon anticoagulation.