An Unexpected Cause of Syncope

Syncope is a common chief complaint among patients presenting to the emergency department, the etiology of which can often be discerned with a thorough history and physical examination. Inversely, liposarcomas are rare tumors that frequently pose a diagnostic challenge as the clinical presentation is highly nonspecific and varies greatly depending on the anatomic location and size of the tumor. Here we present a case of retroperitoneal liposarcomas (RLS) presenting to the emergency department (ED) with a sole complaint of syncope, resulting in a diagnostic dilemma. This clinical scenario highlights the significance of thorough physical examination regardless of the presenting chief complaint, as unexpected physical examination findings prompted an extended work-up and thus facilitated the diagnosis, providing the opportunity for early intervention and resection of the tumor.