Aortic Valve Papillary Fibroelastoma: A Sea Anemone in the Heart, A Case Report

Cardiac papillary fibroelastomas are benign primary cardiac tumors usually arising from the normal components of the endocardium. Grossly they have a characteristic short pedicle and multiple papillary fronds similar to sea anemone. Clinically they have varying presentations ranging from asymptomatic to severe ischemic or embolic complications. We hereby present a case of a middle-aged man who presented with exertional dyspnea and palpitations and was discovered to have papillary fibroelastoma involving the aortic valve. The described case illustrates some of the presenting features, the workup and some of the management modalities that need to be implicated in cases of papillary fibroelastomas.