[Changes in plasma interleukin 6 in a surgical case of left atrial myxoma].

It was recently described that the cardiac myxoma produced Interleukin-6 (IL-6) as a kind of cytokines, and the constitutional signs in patients with cardiac myxoma were due to the IL-6 production. We measured the values of plasma IL-6 concentration before and after surgical therapy. It was decreased from 7.2 pg/ml to less than 4.0 pg/ml two months after surgical removal of the myxoma. It is recommended that the measurement of IL-6 is useful for screening of cardiac myxoma and postoperative follow-up.