Intravascular leiomyomatosis: report of a case and review of the literature.

So far, only 13 cases with extension of an intravascular leiomyoma into the heart have been reported. We present the second known case of leiomyomatosis with extension of the tumor through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle, which was first removed successfully. Ten years after an abdominal hysterectomy for a myomatous uterus, a 53-year old woman presented with a intracavitary mass in the right-sided heart chambers which could be followed retrogradely into the inferior vena cava and right pelvic veins, representing an intravasal extension from the pelvic leiomyoma. The clinical picture, the two-stage operative management, and the postoperative course are reviewed and the literature on the subject is presented.