Atrial myxoma: a rare cause of hemiplegia in children

BACKGROUND: Atrial myxoma is an uncommon cause of hemiplegia in children. However hemiplegia is the commonest manifestation of atrial myxoma in the paediatric age group. CASE REPORT: An 11-year-old girl presented with left hemiplegia and palpitations. Three months later she had a deepvein thrombosis of the right common iliac vein. MRI of the brain showed a subacute right thalamic infarct, and an ECG showed left atrial and left ventricular hypertrophy. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a left atrial myxoma impinging on the mitral valve. A diagnosis of left atrial myxoma with multiple thromboembolic events was made. She was placed on anticoagulants until she died while awaiting surgical tumour resection. CONCLUSION: Echocardiography should be done early in children presenting with ischaemic thromboembolic diseases in order to reduce morbidity and mortality rates resulting from cardiac pathology.