Management of Incidental Aortic Valve Mass.

AORTIC VALVE MASS is an uncommon finding. Autopsy studies suggest the prevalence of all cardiac neoplasms is 0.02%. 1 Chahin M Zoltowska D Roemer A et al. Papillary fibroelastoma: An unexpected finding on the aortic valve. J Osteopath Med. 2021; 121: 325-327 Crossref PubMed Scopus (2) Google Scholar Due to the rarity of the diagnosis, there is controversy regarding management. This is especially important as the use of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) becomes a standard for all cardiac surgeries. Also, with improved technology leading to higher-resolution imaging, smaller lesions are increasingly identified. There are many different types of cardiac masses. Myxoma is adults' most common primary cardiac tumor, followed by papillary fibroelastoma (PFE). However, regarding valvular masses, PFE is the most common. Approximately 30% of PFEs are asymptomatic and found incidentally at the time of cardiac surgery or at autopsy. 2 Gowda RM Khan IA Nair CK et al. Cardiac papillary fibroelastoma: A comprehensive analysis of 725 cases. Am Heart J. 2003; 146: 404-410 Crossref PubMed Scopus (508) Google Scholar It is important to understand the differential diagnosis and surgical implications when unexpected masses are discovered in the operating room (OR). The authors present a case of an incidental aortic valve mass in a 65-year-old female patient presenting for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).