Papillary fibroelastoma of the left ventricle: report of two cases. Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann. 2007 Dec;15(6):e72-4.

Papillary fibroelastoma is a relatively rare cardiac tumor. We report two cases of papillary fibroelastoma. The first case involved a 45-year-old woman who presented with rheumatic valves and three tumors developing from the papillary muscle and left ventricle. The second case involved a 68-year-old man who was asymptomatic and whose tumor was detected incidentally on echocardiogram. Both cases were treated surgically. An additional 71 cases of papillary fibroelastoma reported in the medical literature in Japan are reviewed.

Left atrial papillary fibroelastoma: a rare cause of multiple cerebral emboli.Ann Thorac Surg. 2007 Oct;84(4):1396-7.

Papillary fibroelastomas have been increasingly described since the widespread use of cardiac echocardiography. Most often diagnosed incidentally, papillary fibroelastomas may embolize, mainly to the cerebral circulation. The aortic valve is predominantly affected. The left ventricle is the most frequent nonvalvular location. We present a case of a 59-year-old man who had recurrent episodes of cerebral ischemic attacks and required coronary artery bypass surgery. The overall neurologic investigation was normal, including a transthoracic echocardiography. A 5 x 5 mm pedunculated, mobile mass was described on the intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography. The excision was performed through the left atrial appendage during the coronary artery bypass surgery. The microscopic examination demonstrated a papillary fibroelastoma. The unusual localization and management of papillary fibroelastomas are discussed.

Papillary fibroelastoma of the pulmonary valve. Heart Vessels. 2007 Jul;22(4):284-6. Epub 2007 Jul 20.

A papillary fibroelastoma is rare, but it is the most common primary tumor of the cardiac valves. Most papillary fibroelastomas affect the left-sided heart valves, such as the aortic and mitral valves; however, they also rarely affect the pulmonary valve. Generally, surgical removal is strongly recommended to prevent its potential thromboembolic risks, especially in cases of left-sided cardiac involvement. However, there are few reports on the treatment of asymptomatic, small, right-sided cardiac fibroelastomas. We present a rare case of an asymptomatic papillary fibroelastoma occurring on the pulmonary valve, which was detected by transthoracic echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography, and a 64-slice cardiac computed tomography scan, and which was surgically removed.