Prevalence, characteristics, and surgical outcomes of cardiac masses: a 6-year retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Background: Cardiac masses (CMs) pose a significant diagnostic challenge. Echocardiography is the primary modality for both initial evaluation and perioperative assessment due to its accessibility and ability to assess cardiac structure and function. However, data on postoperative echocardiographic changes remain limited. Also, comprehensive regional data, particularly from Iran, are scarce, and studies evaluating paired pre- and postoperative echocardiographic parameters are lacking. Accordingly, this study aimed to evaluate echocardiographic changes following surgical resection and to characterize the clinical and histopathological features of CMs in a regional cohort. Methods: This retrospective cohort study (2018-2023) included 75 patients with surgically resected CMs from two tertiary centers. Diagnoses were confirmed by transthoracic echocardiography and histopathology. Pre- and postoperative echocardiographic parameters were compared, and clinical and demographic data were obtained from medical records. Paired statistical tests were used, with p < 0.05 considered significant. Results: Among 75 patients (mean age 53.6 +/- 17.4 years; 50.7 male), most had benign tumors (69.3), predominantly myxomas (52). The left atrium was the most common location (58.2). A significant postoperative change was observed in right ventricular size distribution (p = 0.008), while other echocardiographic parameters remained unchanged. Conclusion: Surgical resection of CMs was not associated with significant short-term functional impairment. These findings highlight the value of postoperative echocardiographic assessment and the need for further studies with early and long-term follow-up. This study provides novel regional data from Iran and supports the need for larger prospective studies to validate these findings.