Fetal cardiac tumors: a single‐center experience of 40 cases

To determine the natural history and outcome of fetal cardiac tumors.

This was a retrospective cohort study of all prenatally detected cases of cardiac tumors at a tertiary cardiac care center.

Forty fetuses were identified to have one or several cardiac tumors in association with fetal hydrops (18%), ventricular obstruction (30%) and/or arrhythmia (13%). Of 33 cases with rhabdomyoma, three patients elected to terminate the pregnancy, four offspring died at birth and 26 (79%) survived. On follow‐up, 95% of all live‐born cases with rhabdomyomas were free of cardiac symptoms but 88% had tuberous sclerosis. All three fetuses with teratoma presented with hydrops and none of them survived. In contrast, all three fetuses with cardiac fibroma are alive and have a biventricular physiology. One fetus with a large atrial hemangioendothelioma died in early infancy. Fetal or neonatal death was associated with an earlier cardiac anomaly diagnosis, earlier delivery, larger tumor size and fetal hydrops at presentation.

The outcome of fetal cardiac tumors was predicted by the etiology and size of the cardiac mass and the presence of hydrops. Although most cardiac rhabdomyomas have a relatively benign perinatal course, the long‐term prognosis is determined by the neurological manifestations associated with tuberous sclerosis. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.