Papillary fibroelastoma of the aortic valve presenting with myocardial infarction

We describe the case of a 56-year-old woman who presented with myocardial infarction. Noninvasive and invasive investigations revealed coronary embolism from a papillary tumor attached to the right coronary cusp of the aortic valve as the underlying process. The tumor, which histologically proved to be a papillary fibroelastoma, was excised surgically and the resulting defect in the aortic valve leaflet was closed with a patch of autologous pericardium, effectively reconstructing the aortic valve. The current literature on intracardiac papillary fibroelastoma as a source of embolism and its surgical treatment is summarized.