Myxoma of the left atrium: the story of how a routine examination saved a patient's life
NewsThere have been many difficult cases in the practice of the MCSC named after A.S. Loginov, but this one is a vivid example of why it is important that prevention becomes a priority for every person.
A 46-year-old man turned to the MCSC Complex Diagnostics Center without any complaints: he was full of energy, nothing hurt, the pressure was normal, and the sport was easy. He passed the extended program "Your Health" solely in order to be calm about his health.
The program included a standard set of studies:
- analyses;
- gastro- and colonoscopy;
- Ultrasound;
- ECHO-KG (ultrasound of the heart).
When performing an ultrasound of the heart by a functional diagnostic doctor, a discovery was found – a formation in the cavity of the left atrium measuring 41x30 mm. Given the localization, structure and hemodynamic features, a cardiac myxoma was suspected.
Cardiac myxoma is a common benign tumor of the heart. However, having such a size, it could block the blood flow at any time, leading to the death of the patient.
Due to the fact that narrow high-level specialists work in the structure of our Center, the patient was consulted immediately on the day of pathology detection:
- cardiologist – to assess the effect of education on intracardiac hemodynamics;
- a doctor-a cardiovascular surgeon – to determine the tactics of surgical treatment.
Based on the results of the examination and consultations, our specialists decided on a surgical operation. In the department of cardiac surgery, the patient underwent removal of the myxoma of the left atrium, plastic of the atrial septum with a patch from the xenopericardium and amputation of the auricle of the left atrium (in conditions of artificial circulation and cardioplegia). The operation was successful and 2 weeks after the first treatment the patient returned to his usual life.
The moral of this story is simple: when nothing hurts, it does not mean that there is no problem. In the case of our hero, thanks to the comprehensive examination program and the effective work of the multidisciplinary team of the Center, "routine examination" has become synonymous with the word "rescue".
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