Intracardiac Spread of Intravenous Leiomyomatosis with Successful Surgical Excision

Abstract

INTRAVENOUS leiomyomatosis may be defined as the extension into venous channels of histologically benign smooth-muscle tumors arising either from a uterine myoma or from the walls of a uterine vessel.1 Marshall and Morris2 provided the first English-language report of this condition in 1959; their paper also summarized 16 earlier cases in the European literature. Since 1959, only 28 further cases have appeared in English-language publications.3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Three reports in the German literature12 13 14 describe autopsy evidence of direct extension of intravenous leiomyomatosis from the pelvic veins into the inferior vena cava and right atrium. We describe a further case of intracardiac spread . . .