OBJECTIVETo analyze the experience of treatment strategies for pediatric patients with primary cardiac tumors.

METHODSThe clinical data of 27 patients with primary cardiac tumors which detected by echocardiography from May 1999 to May 2009 was analyzed retrospectively. There were 20 male and 7 female patients, aged from 24 d to 12.6 years. There were 59.2% less than 1 year old at the time of diagnosis. A single tumor were present in 22 cases and multiple in 5 cases. Surgery was performed for 22 patients due to the varied significant symptoms such as arrhythmia, pericardial effusion, swoon and congestive heart failure with dyspnoea. Five patients were discharged hospital without surgical treatment. The surgical approaches were adopted according to tumor location. Complete surgical resection was performed in 14 patients and partial resection in 8 patients. Seven patients were underwent valve reconstruction, 5 involving the mitral valve and 2 involving the tricuspid valve.

RESULTSHistologic examination of the surgically resected tumors showed rhabdomyomas in 8 cases, fibromas in 5 cases, hemangiomas 3 cases, myxomas in 4 cases, fibrosarcoma in 1 case and yolk sac sarcoma in 1 case. Sixteen cases revealed stable haemodynamic status postoperative. Two cases occurred apparent symptoms of low cardiac output and significant arrhythmias, finally recovery after comprehensive treatment of restoration the heart function. There was a total of 4 patients in-hospital death following surgery due to multiorgan system failure. Of the 18 patients who survived after the surgery were followed up from 1 to 10 years, echocardiography showed the residual mass of the tumor with partial resection, rhabdomyoma diminishing in 2 patients and almost vanishing in 1 patient. The residual mass of one fibrosarcoma patient and one hemangioma patient were not increased. Patients with myxomas had no recur or systemic embolisation after the initial surgery. Five nonsurgical patients were followed up from 1 to 3 years, 2 patients without haemodynamic alterations, 1 patients with giant tumor of left ventricular free wall was died of arrhythmia, the other one was alive; the patient of multiple cardiac tumor with low cardiac output was died of heart failure.

CONCLUSIONSDespite the benign histology of most paediatric primary cardiac tumours, there may be significant associated with morbidity and occasional mortality. Therapy strategies should be individualised: surgery is indicated in cases with significant clinical symptoms and close follow-up is necessary for asymptomatic patients. Total resection is not the only therapeutic aim. Most important is the restoration of the normal haemodynamic heart function.