Abstract: Intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL) is a rare kind of uterine myoma. It is a benign smooth muscle tumor with invading growth pattern. The tumor extends into venous channels, but rarely invades tissues. It grows along the refluxing direction of the venous channels, uterine vein, ovarian vein, and beyond the uterus, extends into the inferior vena cava till the right atrium or pulmonary arteries, resulting in intracardiac leiomyomatosis (ICL). At present, the tumor can be detected by ultrasonic waves, computer tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The main ICL therapy is surgery which is divided into onestage operation and twostage operation in which the key is the complete tumor excision. Most sufferers have a good prognosis, but there are possibilities of recurrence. Missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis are not uncommon, because the disease is rare with hided and diversified clinical manifestations. It is fatal without special characteristics. For a better understanding of ICL, the recent research and treatment of ICL are reviewed.
