SURGICAL INTERVENTION IN PEDIATRIC HEART TUMORS

Background: cardiac tumours are rare in children. most cardiac tumours in children are benign and don't need surgical intervention. Indications for surgical intervention include compression on the valves or vessels, heart failure and arrhythmias. Aim: to evaluate the types and presentation of cardiac tumours that required surgical intervention Methods: a retrospective study of all cardiac tumours in children needing surgical intervention at Queen Alia Heart Institute in Jordan between January 2015 and January 2017. Age at surgery, sex, presentation, radiological, surgical and biopsy findings were recorded. Results: eight cases were found in the study period. One in 2015 and seven in 2016. 4 were males and four females. age at surgical intervention was between 10 days and 17 years (mean 3 years). Presentation varied from asymptomatic to severe neonatal cyanosis. There were 4 cases of rhabdomyoma, 2 cases of atrial myxoma, one hemangioma and one teratoma cases. All required surgical resection except one case that required a Blalock-Taussig shunt. 2 patients with rhabdomyoma died either intraoperatively or on second day of surgery. Conclusion: benign cardiac tumours can have malignant presentation. Rhabdomyoma is the most common cardiac tumour and also is the most one requiring surgical intervention.