A case report of an extremely rare type of cardiac tumor: Primary
Cardiac Angiofibroma
Abstract
Cardiac angiofibroma is a very rare diagnosis when a patient develops an
intracardiac mass. It is a primary benign cardiac tumor with a scarcity
of information in the literature. This case report illustrates a
26-year-old man with a complaint of chronic chest tightness who was
firstly diagnosed with right ventricle tumor by echocardiography then
underwent cardiac MRI which confirmed the presence of a highly-vascular
tumor with radiologically benign behavior. Then his tumor was excised,
his postoperative course was uncomplicated and he was well within almost
2 months after discharge. Ultimately the histopathologic findings
demonstrated vascular and stromal tissue in favor of angiofibroma and
excluded the other diagnoses with IHC and trichrome staining.
Angiofibroma is a benign, highly vascular tumor, mostly discovered in
the nasopharynx. When it is found in the heart, CMR and pathology are
pivotal to rule in its diagnosis. It is isointense in T1 weighted and
hyperintense in T2 weighted sequences with intense enhancement following
contrast injection. Its pathology contains an admixture of vasculatures
with CD31 positive immunoreactivity for endothelial cells and fibrotic
tissue with bluish coloration in trichrome staining. Eventually, its
treatment includes merely surgical excision given its benign nature.