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Sarcoma of the pulmonary artery
R A Promisloff1, S L Segal, G S Lenchner
1Department of Medicine, Hahnemann University Hospital, Philadelphia.
Chest
|January 1, 1988
Summary
Pulmonary artery sarcoma, a rare vascular disease, can mimic pulmonary embolus. Diagnosis requires considering this rare tumor when standard treatments fail.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Diagnostic Imaging
Background:
- Pulmonary embolus (PE) is a common vascular emergency.
- Diagnosis typically involves V/Q scans and pulmonary angiography.
- Heparin is the standard anticoagulant therapy for PE.
Observation:
- A patient presented with symptoms suggestive of PE.
- Initial diagnostic imaging (V/Q scan, pulmonary angiogram) confirmed PE.
- The patient did not respond to heparin therapy.
Findings:
- Surgical intervention revealed pulmonary artery sarcoma, not PE.
- Pulmonary artery sarcoma is a rare tumor.
- The tumor was misdiagnosed as PE initially.
Implications:
- Pulmonary artery sarcoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary vascular disease.
- Unexplained treatment failure for suspected PE warrants further investigation.
- Early diagnosis of rare tumors is crucial for effective management.