[Papillary fibroelastoma of the septal leaflet of the tricuspid valve. Report of a case and review of the literature]

Papillary fibroelastoma is a rare benign cardiac tumor typically attached to the cardiac valves. The tumor is recognized during life, more often in patients evaluated for embolic events of unclear pathology, but sometimes also in totally asymptomatic patients. There is a general agreement that left-sided fibroelastomas must be removed to avoid systemic complications. Right-sided localization is even rarer. We report a case of a young woman with a papillary fibroelastoma arising from the septal leaflet of the tricuspid valve. It was detected by two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography and confirmed by transesophageal echocardiography. To our knowledge, this is the seventeenth reported case of a tricuspid valve papillary fibroelastoma, found by means of echocardiography. The tumor was successfully treated by complete surgical excision, without damage of the tricuspid valve. The best therapeutic strategy to be applied in asymptomatic cases is discussed.