INTRODUCTION Cardiac tumors are rather infrequent in everyday clinical practice, but they cause significant morbidity and mortality. As tumors of other organ, cardiac neoplasms may be classified into primary and secondary tumors. The majority of primary cardiac tumors are benign. Secondary tumors of the heart, either metastatic or by direct or transvenous extension, are much more common than primary cardiac tumors. The frequency and type of cardiac tumors in children differ from those in adults. (1-3) Cardiac MRI (CMR) is the gold standard for imaging...

We searched the electronic database of our institution to identify examinations performed with the main indication of cardiac tumor. The cases with primary (benign or malignant) or secondary cardiac tumors were recorded.

MRI PROTOCOL Pre- and post-contrast T1-weighted black blood images. T2-weigthed turbo (fast) spin echo imaging before and after fat suppression. Electrocardiography (ECG)-gated cine steady state free precession (SSFP) imaging in 2 chambers, 4 chambers and short-axis orientation, or in any other oblique plane depending on the location of the tumor. Myocardial delayed enhancement imaging with IR sequences. 3D gradient echo bright blood sequence with diaphragmatic navigator and prospective slice correction. Proton density black blood images. BENIGN TUMORS Myxoma (Case 1, 2) Myxoma is the most...

CMR allows tissue characterization and also can depict the size, location and anatomic relationship of cardiac tumors, thereby establishing a sole as the reference standard for the evaluation of patients with known or suspected cardiac masses.

Jun Amano, Jun Nakayama, Yasuo Yoshimura, Uichi Ikeda. Clinical classification of cardiovascular tumors and tumor-like lesions, and its incidences. Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2013;61:435–447. O'Donnell DH, Abbara S, Chaithiraphan V, Yared K,KilleenRP, Cury RC, Dodd JD. Cardiac tumors: optimal cardiac MR sequences and spectrum of imaging appearances. AJR. 2009;193(2):377-87. Sparrow PJ, Kurian JB, Jones TR, et al. () MR imaging of cardiac tumors. Radiographics 2005;25:1255-1276 Fussen S, De Boeck BW, Zellweger MJ, Bremerich J, Goetschalckx K, Zuber M, Buser PT. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging for...