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Giant primary cardiac liposarcoma vascularized via the circumflex coronary artery
C Stamm1, T Felderhoff, B Herse
1Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Georg August Universität, Göttingen, Germany. stamm_c@hub.tch.harvard.edu
Insights
A large, rare primary cardiac liposarcoma was successfully resected from a patient experiencing chest pain and dyspnea. This case highlights an unusual vascularization and the largest reported intrapericardial liposarcoma.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Oncology
- Thoracic Surgery
Background:
- Primary cardiac tumors are rare, with liposarcomas being an uncommon subtype.
- Intrapericardial lipomatous masses can cause significant cardiopulmonary compromise.
Observation:
- A 51-year-old patient presented with chest pain and progressive dyspnea.
- CT imaging revealed a large lipomatous mass encasing the heart and compressing the left lung.
Findings:
- Surgical resection via median sternotomy successfully removed a 3200g intrapericardial tumor.
- Histological analysis confirmed a well-differentiated liposarcoma with a unique vascular pedicle from the circumflex coronary artery.
- The patient remains well two years post-surgery.
Implications:
- This case represents the largest reported primary cardiac liposarcoma with unusual vascularization.
- Surgical management can be effective for large, complex intrapericardial liposarcomas.
- Further research into rare cardiac tumors and their management is warranted.
Abstract:
A 51-year-old patient presented with a history of chest pain and progressive dyspnea. CT scan demonstrated a lipomatous mass encircling the heart and compressing the left lung. After median sternotomy, an intrapericardial tumor of 3200 g with a vascular pedicle arising from the circumflex coronary artery was resected. A histologic diagnosis of a well-differentiated liposarcoma was made. The patient is alive and well 2 years postoperatively. This tumor with its unusual vascularization is the largest of the few primary cardiac liposarcomas that have been reported.