A Rare Cause of Dyspnea: Left Atrial Myxoma Mimicking Pulmonary Embolism

Primary cardiac tumors are rare. Myxomas are the most common type of these rare tumors. About 75% of myxomas occur in the left atrium of the heart usually beginning in the wall (interatriyal septum) that divides the two upper chambers of the heart. They are usually benign in nature. Some of them may remain asymptomatic but sometimes may exhibit a variety of nonspesific clinical symptoms. Because of nonspecific symptoms, early diagnosis may be difficult, particularly in the early stages. The common signs and symptoms of myxomas are shortness of breath, orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, pulmonary edema, cough, hemoptysis, edema and fatigue. In this report, we presented a case of a 76-year-old woman with profound heart failure symptoms, and left atrial myxoma mimicking pulmonary embolism.