Ascending Aortic Wall Fibroelastoma in an Elderly Woman with Dyspnea

Aortic fibroelastoma is an uncommon pathology that is often found incidentally on routine cardiac imaging. The use of multimodality imaging including computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging has led to discovery of further distinguishing features of these lesions that may allow improved differentiation from aortic thrombi. Although most are located on cardiac valves, nonvalvular fibroelastomas have been seen on occasion. Optimal diagnosis and management of incidental aortic fibroelastomas remains debated. We describe a case of nonvalvular aortic fibroelastoma and review current diagnostic and management approaches.