Incidental finding of a papillary fibroelastoma on the aortic valve in 16 slice multi-detector row computed tomography

Papillary fibroelastoma (PFE) is a benign, rare, gelatinous tumour derived from the endocardium, primarily the cardiac valves, which is usually diagnosed by high resolution echocardiography. Although rarely clinically symptomatic, PFEs have a potential for coronary ischaemia, systemic embolisation with neurologic symptoms, and sometimes valvar dysfunction. There are reports of coronary occlusion and even sudden cardiac death due to a ball valve phenomenon on the coronary ostia. This report describes the characteristics of a PFE with multidetector 16 slice computed tomography and 1.5 Tesla cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.