Unveiling the Unexpected: A Rare Case of Silent Pediatric Cardiac Myxoma Mimicking Infection in an Eleven-Year-Old Girl

Abstract

Pediatric cardiac myxoma is a rare tumor that commonly presents with cardiac or neurological symptoms. It can lead to serious complications like stroke, valvular obstructions, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias and peripheral embolism. We present a case of an 11-year-old girl with fever, right leg pain, swelling and redness. This presentation was initially attributed to an underlying infectious or rheumatological process but further testing revealed a large left atrial cardiac myxoma with peripheral embolism to the right common femoral artery. Review of literature reveals this being the second reported case of pediatric cardiac myxoma with systemic symptoms and non-neurological, non-cardiac presentation. Our patient underwent an uncomplicated excision of the mass along with femoral embolectomy. In this article, we highlighted the spectrum of clinical presentation of cardiac myxoma along with variety in its location, imaging features and the importance of considering intra-cardiac mass as a differential in pediatric population presenting with non-specific symptoms.