Cardiac tumors in the neonatal period: Clinical features and echocardiographic evaluation

Abstract

Introduction: Primary cardiac tumors are rare in the fetal and neonatal period (0.0017-0.28%), but considerably more frequent than the metastatic ones; most of them are benign. The objective of this study was to analyze the clinical and echocardiographic features of cardiac tumors during the neonatal period. Case presentations: In the period of 6 years (2007-2012), we diagnosed five newborns with cardiac tumors of which two newborns with left ventricle tumors suggestive of rhabdomyomas, both diagnosed in utero; a newborn with multiple heart and brain tumors, suggestive of tuberous sclerosis, who died after 24 days; a newborn with tricuspid valve papillary fibroelastoma, hemodynamically stable during the monitoring; and a newborn of the mother with high-risk pregnancy with a single right atrial tumor. Conclusion: Cardiac tumors are rare but have good prognosis when not accompanied by arrhythmias or hemodynamic changes. Echocardiographic evaluation is an effective method for the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with cardiac tumors.