Lymphangioma of the heart as a rare tumor: A case report

INTRODUCTION: Tumors of the heart are uncommon, and lymphangiomas are among the rarest of this group, with very few cases reported. These tumors consist of a benign slow-flow vascular malformation. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report a case of a man diagnosed incidentally with a pericardial mass and our surgical approach for its treatment. DISCUSSION: The pericardial mass of our case had no cleavage plane between the myocardium and the tumor. Because of this, rather than a total resection, with very high operative risk, a biopsy was preferred. The pathology specimen showed a benign tumor and the patient was referred to the cardiologist for regular follow-up. CONCLUSION: There is no specific investigation for diagnosing cardiac lymphangiomas, and though benign, they should be considered in the differential diagnosis of other malignant diseases of the mediastinum and definitive pathologic diagnosis is mandatory. Given the increased risk of uncontrolled bleeding related to percutaneous biopsy, the definite diagnosis is usually obtained with open surgical biopsy.