What is a cardiac rhabdomyoma?

What is a cardiac rhabdomyoma?

A cardiac rhabdomyoma is a noncancerous (benign) tumor in your heart muscle. Cardiac rhabdomyomas are rare. But they’re the most common type of fetal cardiac tumor. A cardiac rhabdomyoma often appears during gestation (in the womb) or within one year of birth.

Cardiac rhabdomyomas grow directly from the heart muscle. They typically appear in clusters. This sets them apart from another type of benign tumor called fibromas. Fibromas also form in the heart muscle but only appear as a single tumor, not as a cluster.

Cardiac rhabdomyomas aren’t malignant or cancerous. They don’t spread. They only become dangerous if they disrupt the normal functioning of your child’s heart. But this is rare. Usually, cardiac rhabdomyomas go away on their own and don’t cause serious problems.

Cardiac rhabdomyomas can appear on either side of your child’s heart (right or left). They’re usually in the right ventricle or left ventricle (lower chambers of the heart). Sometimes, they appear in the atria (upper chambers) or the wall that separates the ventricles. The tumors can vary in size from just a few millimeters to several centimeters. They look yellow or white when seen with the naked eye.