Syncope due to right atrial myxoma.

Atrial myxomas are uncommon, but when present they often cause neurological abnormalities. Those that arise from the left atrium are a well-recognized source of cerebral emboli while those that arise in the right atrium may cause recurrent attacks of syncope. Twelve cases of atrial myxoma were treated at Loma Linda University Medical Center from 1968 to 1984. Loss of consciousness was one of the symptoms in all three of the right-sided lesions. Surgical removal of the tumor eliminated the attacks of syncope in each case. Right atrial myxoma is a rare lesion, but it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of loss of consciousness of unknown etiology.