Cardiovascular magnetic resonance of primary tumors of the heart: A review

Overall, the prevalence of primary cardiac neoplasms is approximately 0.3% and these masses should be distinguished from the myriad of other primary and secondary processes that can occur in the heart. Tumors within, attached to, or near the heart can cause direct cardiac damage, can result in thrombus formation, can compromise blood flow and can embolize distally. Hence, proper diagnosis is clinically important. It has been suggested that cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is a useful tool for diagnosing and characterizing cardiac tumors. In this report, we present a case example of a patient with a large, mobile right atrial myxoma imaged by CMR with results of histopathologic analysis after excision. We also demonstrate the utilization of CMR for characterization of cardiac lesions, review the basic characteristics of primary cardiac neoplasms, provide an overview of published cases describing use of CMR, and give suggested guidelines for imaging of cardiac masses with emphasis on diagnosis of cardiac tumors. CMR is an important technique for diagnosing and characterizing cardiac tumors.