Clinical and Echocardiographic Characteristics of
Papillary Fibroelastomas
A Retrospective and Prospective Study in 162 Patients
Jing Ping Sun, MD; Craig R. Asher, MD; Xing Sheng Yang, MD, PhD; Georgiana G. Cheng, MD;
Gregory M. Scalia, MBBS; AnMalek G. Massed, MD; Brian P. Griffin, MD; Norman B. Ratliff, MD;
William J. Stewart, MD; James D. Thomas, MD
Background—Cardiac papillary fibroelastoma (CPF) is a primary cardiac neoplasm that is increasingly detected by
echocardiography. The clinical manifestations of this entity are not well described.
Methods and Results—In a 16-year period, we identified patients with CPF from our pathology and echocardiography
databases. A total of 162 patients had pathologically confirmed CPF. Echocardiography was performed in 141 patients
with 158 CPFs, and 48 patients had CPFs that were not visible by echocardiography (,0.2 cm), leaving an
echocardiographic subgroup of 93 patients with 110 CPFs. An additional 45 patients with a presumed diagnosis of CPF
were identified. The mean age of the patients was 60616 years of age, and 46.1% were male. Echocardiographically,
the mean size of the CPFs was 964.6 mm; 82.7% occurred on valves (aortic more than mitral), 43.6% were mobile,
and 91.4% were single. During a follow-up period of 11622 months, 23 of 26 patients with a prospective diagnosis of
CPF that was confirmed by pathological examination had symptoms that could be attributable to embolization. In the
group of 45 patients with a presumed diagnosis of CPF, 3 patients had symptoms that were likely due to embolization
(incidence, 6.6%) during a follow-up period of 5526706 days.
Conclusions—CPFs are generally small and single, occur most often on valvular surfaces, and may be mobile, resulting
in embolization. Because of the potential for embolic events, symptomatic patients, patients undergoing cardiac surgery
for other lesions, and those with highly mobile and large CPFs should be considered for surgical excision. (Circulation.
2001;103:2687-2693.)
Key Words: fibroelastoma n echocardiography n cardiovascular event
C
ardiac papillary fibroelastoma (CPF) is a rare primary
cardiac neoplasm of unknown prevalence.1 Since the
introduction of echocardiography, the diagnosis of these
tumors in living patients has been reported sporadically. The
largest report of pathologically confirmed CPF includes only
17 patients.2 Echocardiographically, this entity has been
described as a small, well-delineated, pedunculated mass with
a predilection for valvular endocardium.1–3 Case reports have
associated CPF with coronary, cerebral, pulmonary, and
retinal artery emboli, although the frequency with which this
occurs is not well-established.4 –10
With improved echocardiographic resolution due to higher
frequency transducers and new imaging modalities, small,
ill-defined valvular lesions are increasingly recognized. Clinicians must be able to decide how to manage such patients
with either incidental echocardiographic findings or symptoms that may be attributable to these masses. Therefore, the
purpose of this study was to (1) confirm the clinical, pathological, and echocardiographic characteristics of CPF;
(2) report the risk of embolic and other complications among
patients with presumed CPF; and (3) develop a management
strategy for patients with presumed or a definite diagnosis
of CPF.
Methods
Study Population
We used the echocardiography and pathology databases at the
Cleveland Clinic Foundation between March 1, 1983 and March 31,
1999 to identify patients with a presumed or confirmed diagnosis of
CPF. A total of 162 patients with pathologically proven CPF were
identified through the pathology database. Twenty-one patients did
not undergo transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) or transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), leaving 141 patients with 158 pathologically confirmed CPFs who underwent echocardiography. TTE
was available for 126 patients, and TEE was available for 107
patients. Patients ranged in age from 5 to 86 years (mean, 60616
years), and 65 (46.1%) were male. From this group, echocardiography identified 93 patients with 110 CPFs, of which 26 patients with
30 CPFs were identified prospectively and 67 patients with 80 CPFs
were identified retrospectively.
Received November 9, 2000; revision received March 19, 2001; accepted March 21, 2001.
From the Cardiovascular Imaging Center, Department of Cardiology, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio.
Correspondence to James D. Thomas, MD, Department of Cardiology, Desk F 15, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH
44195. E-mail thomasj@ccf.org
© 2001 American Heart Association, Inc.
Circulation is available at http://www.circulationaha.org
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Figure 1. Gross specimen of CPF revealing the characteristic frond-like appearance and resemblance to a sea anemone.
Because all cases were identified retrospectively through the
pathology and echocardiography databases, the term prospective
refers to the presence of a lesion consistent with CPF identified by
echocardiography before surgical confirmation. In this group, CPF
may have been identified before or after an embolic event. The
retrospective group consists of patients with CPF in whom presurgical echocardiography did not detect a lesion before surgical
detection.
A total of 48 patients had CPFs confirmed by pathological
examination that were not visible on echocardiograms because these
CPFs were extremely small (,0.2 cm). An additional 45 patients
with presumed CPF were identified by the echocardiography database and followed for symptoms that may be attributable to CPF.
During the study period of .16 years, 109 502 patients had
echocardiograms recorded in our database.
Study Methods
Clinical information was obtained from the patients’ medical records, which included data from cardiac catheterization and surgical
and pathology reports. Clinical events assessed included transient
ischemic attacks, stroke, myocardial infarctions, angina (typical
chest pain), and dyspnea. Transient ischemic attacks were attributed
to the CPF if patients had no significant carotid or aortic atheroma
and no atrial fibrillation or valvular heart disease. Myocardial
infarctions, angina, or both were attributed to the CPF if the patient
had no significant coronary obstruction.
Echocardiographic studies were reviewed retrospectively from
stored VHS videotapes by 2 experienced echocardiographers who
were blinded to the presence and location of the tumors. The largest
dimension of the tumor, its location, and the length and mobility of
a stalk were measured using off-line measurement calipers on an
echocardiographic machine (Hewlett Packard Sonos 1500). Associated valvular abnormalities were also assessed.
Clinical follow-up data were obtained from clinical visits, mail
surveys, or telephone interviews of patients or their families. The
primary clinical end points were embolic events, myocardial infarction, and death over the follow-up period.
A separate case-control study was undertaken to determine the
accuracy of echocardiography for the diagnosis of CPF. This group
consisted of 86 patients matched by age and valve type that included
41 control patients with no suspicion of CPF and 45 patients with
pathological confirmation of CPF (from the group of 93 patients with
echocardiographically detectable CPF). All patients underwent surgery and had pathological inspection of their valves. An experienced,
blinded echocardiographer reviewed these studies to determine the
presence and location of CPF.
Statistical Methods
Data are presented as mean6SD. x2 testing was used to compare
differences in the location and mobility of CPFs. ANOVA was used
to compare the size of the tumors and their location. Linear
regression was used to determine the size of tumors measured by
echocardiography and by pathology. P,0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results
Pathological Characteristics
Gross Appearance
CPF have a characteristic frond-like appearance and resemble
a sea anemone, especially when placed in saline (Figure 1).
Histology
The tumor is covered by endothelium that surrounds a layer
of acid mucopolysaccharide and an inner vascular core of
connective tissue (Figure 2). The amount of collagen, smooth
muscle cells, and elastic fibers is variable within the connective tissue matrix.
Concomitant Lesions
Of the 141 patients with proven CPFs by echocardiographic
studies, 98 (69.5%) had CPFs associated with cardiac valvular disease; among them, 37 patients (37.8%) had rheumatic
valvulitis, and 61 (62.2%) had fibrosis and/or calcification.
Twelve patients had 19 tumors in the chambers, which were
isolated lesions; 31 patients had associated hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy, aortic aneurysm, or congenital heart disease.
Echocardiographic Characteristics
Morphology/Appearnace
Tumors appeared round, oval, or irregular on echocardiography but were generally well-demarcated and homogenous in
appearance. When image quality was optimal, a “speckled
appearance” with “stippling” around the perimeter could be
seen.2
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Sun et al
Characteristics of Papillary Fibroelastomas
2689
Figure 2. This section, taken from a large
and complex papillary fibroelastoma, illustrates an avascular connective tissue core
surrounded by a looser matrix, with multiple adjacent fronds covered by endothelium. Colloidal iron stain, 350.
Accuracy
From the case-control study, the sensitivity and specificity of
TTE were 88.9% and 87.8%, respectively, with an overall
accuracy of 88.4% for the detection of CPF $0.2 cm. A
positive diagnosis for the presence and location of a tumor
was correct in 40 of 45 patients. A negative diagnosis was
consistent with pathology data in 36 of 41 patients. When
CPF #0.2 cm were included in the analysis, the overall
sensitivity of TTE was 61.9% and that for TEE was 76.6%.
Location
Among the 110 CPFs seen by echocardiography, 49 (44.5%)
were on the aortic cusp (24 on the right, 6 on the left, and 19
on the noncoronary cusp), with 40 tumors present on the
aortic side of the valve and 9 on the ventricular side. Forty
tumors (36.4%) were on the mitral leaflets (23 on the anterior
and 17 on the posterior leaflet), with 32 on the left atrial
surface and 8 on the left ventricular surface (Table 1).
Significantly more tumors occurred on the valves than in the
chambers (91 of 110, 82.7%, versus 19 of 110, 17.3%;
P,0.001).
TABLE 1.
Size
The size of the tumors ranged from 2 to 28 mm (mean,
964.6 mm; median, 8 mm) for the largest dimension. A total
of 99% were ,20 mm. The masses in the cardiac chambers
were larger than those on the aortic or mitral valves
(12.064.6 mm versus 8.564.4 mm in diameter, respectively;
P,0.001). Tumors diagnosed prospectively were larger than
those diagnosed retrospectively. Examples of CPFs are
shown in Figures 3 and 4. The largest diameters of CPF were
compared in a random sample of 45 patients by pathology
and echocardiography with good correlation (r50.87,
P,0.001; Figure 5).
Stalks and Mobility
Of 110 tumors, 48 (43.6%) had a stalk from 1 to 3 mm in
length, and all of these were mobile. No tumors without stalks
were mobile. All 19 CPF in the chambers were mobile, as
were 29 of the 91 on a valvular surface (31.9%).
Numbers
Single lesions were detected by echocardiography in 85
patients (91.4%). Multiple CPFs (range, 2 to 8) were detected
Echocardiographic Characteristics of CPF (Proven by Pathology)
Prospective Diagnosis
(26 Patients, 30 Tumors)
Retrospective Diagnosis
(67 Patients, 80 Tumors)
P
Size, cm
1.160.5
0.860.3
0.03
Mobile tumor, n (%)
30 (100)
18 (22.5)
,0.001
Stalk, n (%)
30 (100)
18 (22.5)
,0.001
Characteristics
Location of tumor, n (%)
Aortic valve
8 (26.6)
41 (51.2)
,0.02
Mitral valve
1 (3.3)
39 (48.8)
,0.001
LV chamber
13 (43.3)
0
,0.001
RV chamber
4 (13.3)
0
,0.001
LA
2 (6.6)
0
0.02
Pulmonary valve
2 (6.7)
0
0.02
Values are mean6SD or n (%). LV indicates left ventricle; RV, right ventricle; and LA, left atrium.
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Figure 3. A papillary fibroelastoma attached to the aortic side of
the noncoronary cusp of the aortic valve, as seen by TEE in the
midesophageal short-axis.
in 8 patients (8.6%). One patient had 8 tumors observed in
various locations on the right and left sides of the heart.
Valvular Function
Of the 26 patients with a prospective diagnosis and pathological confirmation, 23 had CPFs on valves with normal
function. In no patient was the CPF thought to be responsible
for valvular dysfunction. Of the 67 patients with a retrospective diagnosis and pathological confirmation, 62 had severe
valvular disease, and all of these patients had CPFs on the
dysfunctional valve. The CPFs in this latter group were
smaller and tended not to be mobile (Table 1).
Clinical Features
Table 2 lists the clinical features of patients with pathologically diagnosed CPF in comparison with the group with
presumed CPF. During a follow-up period of 11622 months,
among 26 patients with a prospective diagnosis of pathologically confirmed CPF, 23 patients had symptoms that could
Figure 5. Comparison of tumor size measured by pathology and
echocardiography in a subgroup of 45 patients showing a good
correlation of echocardiography for tumors $0.2 cm. Solid line
represents regression; dashed line is line of identity.
be attributable to embolization. Three of 45 patients with
presumed CPF had symptoms that could be attributed to
possible embolization of the tumor (incidence, 6.6%). The
mass could no longer be detected in 2 patients at follow-up,
and these patients remained asymptomatic. Four patients
were lost to follow-up.
Follow-Up Data
Echocardiographic follow-up data were available for 64 of
141 patients (45.4%) after surgical excision. The average
follow-up time was 6306903 days (range, 10 to 3639 days;
median, 130 days). No mass was detected by echocardiography in any patient during the follow-up period.
Clinical follow-up data were available for 110 of the 141
patients (78%). The average follow-up time was 22696893
days (range, 10 to 4176 days; median, 1221 days). Thirtynine patients died of disease processes unrelated to CPF (36
died of congestive heart failure, 2 of cancer, and 1 of
pneumonia). The remaining 71 patients were in stable condition, without symptoms related to emboli, during the
follow-up period.
Figure 4. A papillary fibroelastoma in the right ventricular outflow tract, as shown by TEE. This tumor
at its largest dimension was 1.8 cm.
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Sun et al
TABLE 2. Clinical Features of Patients With Potential
Diagnosis of CPF
Prospective
(n526)
Retrospective
(n567)
Presumed
(n545)
Age, y
58613
60613
58616
Sex, male/female
11/15
33/34
19/26
TIA, n (%)
9 (34.6)
Valvular disease, n (%)
2 (7.7)
Chest pain, n (%)
9 (34.6)
0 (0)
2 (4.4)
Stroke, n (%)
5 (19.2)
4 (6.0)
1 (2.2)
Nonspecific pain, n (%)
0 (0)
0 (0)
Follow-up, d
6306584
0 (0)
63 (94.0)
4966841
2 (4.4)
24 (53.3)
17 (37.8)
5866518
Values are mean6SD or n (%). TIA indicates transient ischemic attack.
Discussion
Echocardiographic Characteristics
We found that there are typical echocardiographic features of
CPF. These include the following: (1) the tumor is round,
oval, or irregular in appearance, with well-demarcated borders and a homogeneous texture; (2) most CPFs are small
(99% were ,20 mm in the largest dimension); (3) nearly half
of CPFs had small stalks, and those with stalks were mobile;
(4) CPFs may be single or multiple lesions and are most often
associated with cardiac valvular disease. These echocardiographic characteristics have not been reported previously in a
large group of patients, but they are consistent with published
case descriptions.2,6,11–29
Tumor Locations
Approximately 90% of the CPFs reported in the literature
were attached to valves,3,4 and the majority were on the aortic
valve.3 For the aortic valve, no predilection for the tumor to
appear on the aortic or the ventricular side has been reported.4
In the present study, 49 of the 110 CPFs (44.5%) were
attached to the aortic valve, predominantly on the aortic side.
This common location of the tumor suggests a potential for
dynamic coronary ostial obstruction leading to myocardial
ischemia.
The mitral valve was the next most common location of
involvement in published data, with tumors occurring on the
anterior or posterior leaflets, the chordae, and the papillary
muscles.1,4,10,21–36 When an atrioventricular valve is involved,
the tumor was most often on the atrial side of the valve, as
found in our study.4 Along the valve leaflet, the most
common site of occurrence was in the midportion, well away
from the free edge or the annulus.4 There are also occasional
reports of tricuspid37– 41 and pulmonic valvular CPF,42,43 and
our study confirmed this unusual side of involvement. In
addition, nonvalvular sites of attachment have been reported,
with left ventricular masses documented on the septum and
the outflow tract.6,29,41,43– 46 The masses have also been seen
in the right ventricle near the papillary muscle origins.8,11,47
Tumors arising from the right atrium are described in only 3
cases.3,48 It is readily apparent that the lower rate of rightsided detection is likely due to a lack of symptoms from
right-sided embolization and under-reporting due to uncommon excision of right-sided valves or entry to the right heart.
Characteristics of Papillary Fibroelastomas
2691
Size, Number, and Mobility
As previously described, we found that CPFs were usually
,20 mm in their largest diameter. The largest reported CPF
is 40 mm.49 The mobility of CPFs has also been a typical
feature, with 17 of 18 tumors having independent mobility
and an identifiable stalk in one analysis.2 In our study, all of
the masses in chambers were mobile. Stalks and mobility
were present in most patients with a prospective diagnosis of
CPF; therefore, as expected, these traits may be associated
with the likelihood of embolization.
Clinical Features
The findings of our study were consistent with prior studies
with regard to the clinical profile and presentation of patients
with CPF. As in other reports that have detected CPF in
neonates and patients as old as 92 years,3,11,30,50 we found a
wide distribution of age. Although CPFs are often diagnosed
incidentally, neurological events,7,21,26,51,52 sudden death,53,54
angina,8 acute myocardial infarction,5,14,15,23,54 pulmonary
emboli,9 and retinal artery embolism10 related to CPF have
been reported. In the present study, CPFs were diagnosed
incidentally in many patients with another underlying cardiovascular disease who were asymptomatic. Among the patients
who had prospectively diagnosed CPF, underlying heart
disease was uncommon, and detection occurred related to a
search for the cause of the symptoms. This fact suggests that
isolated tumors may easily “shed into the blood stream,”
whereas tumors fixed by a combined lesion are not easily
shed.
The potential for suspected CPF to cause symptomatic
embolization was also demonstrated in this study. After
follow-up of 45 patients with the echocardiographic diagnosis
of CPF, stroke occurred in one patient (48-year-old woman)
who had a mobile CPF on the mitral anterior leaflet and no
other cardiovascular disease. Transient ischemic attacks occurred in 2 patients: one of them a (34-year-old woman) had
a mobile CPF on aortic noncoronary cups and no other
valvular disease.
Diagnosis
With the increased use of 2D TTE, CPF are detected during
life and are occasionally found in patients without symptoms.4,33 Echocardiography is a convenient and noninvasive
diagnostic technique and should be the first choice of tests to
search for CPFs.43,52 TEE is an important tool for delineating
the extent and anatomic attachment of these small tumors
because only this technique allows optimal high-resolution
imaging. However, many CPF go undetected by echocardiography. The reasons echocardiography may fail to diagnose
tumors include the following: (1) the tumor was masked by
an associated lesion; (2) the tumor was too small to be seen;
(3) the examination was not done carefully with a sufficient
index of suspicion; or (4) there were no significant characteristics to differentiate the CPF from the degenerative valve
disease.
Postsurgical Follow-Up
To our knowledge, there is no information regarding recurrence of CPF after surgical excision as detected by echocar-
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June 5, 2001
diography. In the present study, 64 patients (42.4%) had
echocardiographic follow-up at an average 630 days after
surgery. No patients were found to have recurrent CPF,
although most studies used TTE.
Limitations
The presence of a patent foramen ovale in patients with CPF
who had an embolic event was not determined. Because
paradoxical embolism through a patent foramen ovale cannot
be excluded, the incidence of embolism due to CPF may be
overestimated.
Management
On the basis of our findings and a review of the literature, we
recommend the following guidelines for the assessment and
management of patients with CPF. Patients with events that
may be embolic in nature and are not explained by other
cardiovascular or neurological diseases should undergo TTE
and TEE if necessary to exclude cardiac sources of emboli,
including CPF. A mass seen by echocardiography should be
characterized by size, shape, location of attachment, mobility,
presence of a stalk, and multiplicity. Although the differential
diagnosis may still include vegetations (infective or noninfective), thrombi, degenerative valve tissue, and other benign
tumors, these lesions can often be differentiated by clinical
information, blood cultures, and laboratory tests. Because the
presence of a stalk and associated mobility is a significant
predictor of embolic risk, patients with presumed CPF,
especially if left-sided, should undergo TEE to determine if a
stalk is present.
Decisions regarding the primary surgical excision of CPF
depend on the size, location, mobility, and potential or
strength of association of the tumor with symptoms. Excision
of isolated right-sided CPFs is indicated only for large mobile
tumors, including those that result in obstruction or embolization that is hemodynamically significant. The presence of a
patent foramen ovale with a sizeable right-to-left shunt is an
additional consideration for management of right-sided CPF.
Asymptomatic patients with small, left-sided, nonmobile (no
stalk) CPFs are usually observed. However, larger ($1 cm)
CPF, especially if mobile, should be considered for excision,
especially if other cardiovascular disease is detected or the
patient is young, with low risk of surgery and a high
cumulative risk for embolization. Patients with residual
tumors who have had an embolic event should similarly be
considered for excision, depending on the risks of surgery and
other cardiovascular indications. Isolated CPF excision of
aortic or mitral valve lesions can often be performed through
a minimally invasive approach, with no damage to the valve.
Incidentally detected CPF in patients undergoing cardiac
surgery should generally be removed unless they add substantial time and risk to the operation that cannot be justified
based on size, location, and mobility. No data exist to
evaluate the efficacy of anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy
for patients with CPF, although it is speculated that deposition of thrombotic material on the tumors may add to the risk
of microembolization.
Summary
The echocardiographic characteristics of CPF have been
confirmed in a large series and allow for differentiation from
ill-defined masses seen on routine studies. Although symptoms related to fibroelastomas are uncommon, there is a
potential for serious morbidity, particularly among patients
with large, mobile, left-sided lesions. Therefore, the presence
of tumors should be determined in patients with symptomatic
unexplained cardiac or neurological events. Consideration for
surgical excision should be given to those patients, whether
asymptomatic or symptomatic, especially those with a high
cumulative risk of embolization and a low risk for surgery.
Acknowledgment
Supported in part by grant NCC9-60 from the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, Houston, Tex.
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Clinical and Echocardiographic Characteristics of Papillary Fibroelastomas: A Retrospective and
Prospective Study in 162 Patients
Jing Ping Sun, Craig R. Asher, Xing Sheng Yang, Georgiana G. Cheng, Gregory M. Scalia, AnMalek G.
Massed, Brian P. Griffin, Norman B. Ratliff, William J. Stewart and James D. Thomas
Circulation. 2001;103:2687-2693
doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.103.22.2687
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