Abstract
A 61-year-old woman had intermittent fever of 2 months' duration following a dental extraction. On admission, her body temperature was 39.2°C. A mid-systolic murmur was heard at the apex on ausculation. A 2-dimensional echocardiogram revealed a mobile, heavy stick-like mass with vegetation (5.0×1.5 cm) attached to the left atrial septum. Multiple blood cultures grew Streptococcus constellatus. On diagnosis of an infected left atrial myxoma, antibiotics were administered daily and 4 weeks later, the left atrial tumor was resected. The tumor was 5.3 cm long, 1.5 cm in diameter at the inter-atrial wall and had vegetation on the free edge. On microscopic examination, colonies of Gram-positive cocci were found in the thrombus, on the papillary fibroelastoma. After treatment with antibiotics for a further 4 weeks, the patient was discharged. This is the first report of infected papillary fibroelastoma. (Circ J 2002; 66: 305 - 307)
