Imaging Diagnosis of Thoracic Elastofibroma Dorsi

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Oncology
• Pathology

Background:

• Elastofibroma dorsi (ED) is a rare, benign tumor.
• Often incidentally discovered on thoracic imaging.
• Can be mistaken for malignant lesions.

Purpose of the Study:

• Characterize cross-sectional imaging findings of ED.
• Quantify the risk of ED masquerading as malignancy.
• Establish imaging criteria for confident ED diagnosis.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 409 suspected ED cases over 12 years.
• Analysis of CT and MRI findings for 310 confirmed ED cases.
• Assessment of lesion location, interspersed fat, and follow-up appearance.

Main Results:

• ED typically presents as a mass deep to the serratus anterior (98%) and near the scapular tip (98%).
• Interspersed fat observed in 87% (CT) and 90% (MRI) of ED cases.
• Malignant tumors showed significantly different locations and lacked interspersed fat compared to ED.

Conclusions:

• Classic location and imaging characteristics enable high-certainty diagnosis of ED.
• Imaging findings can obviate the need for further investigation or biopsy.
• Differentiating ED from malignancy is possible with characteristic imaging features.