Abstract
We performed the radionuclide angiography in a patient with left atrial myxoma. The patient was 42 years old female. Pre-operative right-sided intracardiac catheterization revealed slight elevation of pulmonary capillary wedge (Pcw) pressure (13 mmHg), and pulmonary artery (PA) pressure (33/13 mmHg, mean 20 mmHg). Angiography showed filling defect in the left atrium and echocardiogram showed tumor echoes behind the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve during diastolic phase. We discussed the diagnostic value of cine-mode imaging and phase imaging, and evaluated left ventricular function using ejection fraction (EF) and peak filling rate (PFR). On cine mode imaging, we could observe the filling defect produced by atrial myxoma moving in left atrium and obstructing the mitral orifice in diastolic phase. Left ventricular PFR was low (2.32 sec^<-1>). It improved to 2.99 sec^<-1> after operation. Right ventricular EF and the standard deviation (SD) of left ventricular phase angle also improved, from 26% to 38%, from 28°to 18°, respectively, after operation. Radionuclide angiography is a valuable non-inva-sive test in the case of left atrial myxoma, not only to confirm the existence of tumor, but also to evaluate the pre- and post-operative hemodynamic change in this disease.
