[Clinical findings on heart myxoma (authors' translation)].

Clinical findings, diagnosis, and pathology of heart myxoma are discussed on the basis of personal experience with nine patients. There was a striking variety of signs and symptoms caused by tumor embolization, hemodynamic obstruction, and autoimmunologic reactions. Echocardiography is the method of choice, although angiography may still be necessary in atypical or negative echocardiographic findings. The tumor should be removed as soon as possible after diagnosis. There is danger of tumor embolization in the course of the operation. Long-term results are good, if resection of the tumors is performed before catastrophic complications occur. Morphologically, myxomas are genuine tumors characterized by myxomatous stromata and cells.