Patients with valvular myxoma are often candidates for surgery because of the high incidence of life-threatening embolism. In some cases, the tumor is sessile or presents with a large peduncle: complete excision may then lead to valve replacement. We report two cases of atrioventricular valve myxoma where replacement was avoided. In one patient, a mitral myxoma was attached to the edge of the anterior leaflet close to the chordae insertion; safe excision implied destruction of the two chordae and a peritumoral section of the anterior leaflet. A chordal transposition technique was used to preserve valve competence. In a second patient, a tricuspid myxoma causing syncopal episodes was resected; this was characterized by a large stalk, located on the anterior tricuspid leaflet away from chordal attachment and the valvular annulus. Treatment was by simple resection and leaflet reconstruction with a pericardial patch. Techniques for conservative treatment of degenerative valvular disease or endocarditis, when monitored by peroperative transesophageal echocardiography, may be used successfully for surgical resection of atrioventricular myxoma.