Cardiac neoplasm, tachyarrhythmia, and anasarca in an infant
A. L. Wedemeyer and V. Breitfeld
An infant had supraventricular tachycardia and massive anasarca at birth.
The supraventricular tachycardia and congestive heart failure were
minimally responsive to medical therapy. At 1 month of age, a diagnosis of
atrial and ventricular septal defect was made by cardiac catheterization.
At 5 months of age, at an operation for pulmonary banding, a peculiar
neoplasm of the right atrium was noted. On clamping and resection of the
neoplasm, the supraventricular tachyarrhythmia reverted to normal sinus
mechanism. The neoplasm, by light and electron microscopy, was thought to
be a conduction system hamartoma and was thought to have caused the
arrhythmia. A review of the literature showed that no such lesions had been
reported previously.
