  |
|
 |
|
Case in Images
| ||||||
| Intimal angiosarcoma of the thoracic aorta | ||||||
| Michelle Forman1, Michael E Mulligan1 | ||||||
|
1Department of Radiology, University of Maryland Medical Center 22 South Greene Street, Baltimore, MD 21201.
| ||||||
| ||||||
|
[HTML Full Text]
[PDF Full Text]
[Print This Article]
[Similar article in Pumed] [Similar article in Google Scholar] 
|
| How to cite this article: |
| Forman M, Mulligan ME. Intimal angiosarcoma of the thoracic aorta. International Journal of Case Reports and Images 2013;4(1):70–75. |
|
Abstract
|
|
Introduction:
Sarcomas of the great vessels are uncommon, with aortic being the rarest. Only 30 cases of true intimal aortic sarcomas (IAS) are documented. They tend to occur in the abdominal aorta, with less common occurrences in the thoracic aorta. Their growth patterns, predispose them to a propensity for metastases and cause embolic phenomenon.
Case Report: A 58-year-old male presented with chest pain and dyspnea and was evaluated for pulmonary embolus and coronary artery disease. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) demonstrated no pulmonary emboli; however, there was severe atherosclerosis/thrombosis of the aortic arch. The process extended centrally, nearly filling the entire lumen. The surgery consultant advised anticoagulation and strict blood pressure control, recommending that the patient come to the outpatient department for surgery. Due to personal reasons, the patient failed to return at the recommended time. Three months after initial presentation the patient was admitted for surgical replacement of the aorta. The surgeon reported the aorta as "chock-full of fibro-fatty material nearly obstructing its course". The pathology report was aortic sarcoma of intimal origin. Conclusion: Aortic sarcomas are rare tumors, with the intimal subtype in the thoracic aorta being even rarer. Delay in diagnosis of these tumors often occurs, since the imaging features are nearly identical to atherosclerotic disease. Since atherosclerotic disease is clearly more frequent than intimal sarcoma of the aorta, it is not difficult to understand that this diagnosis is not usually made until after surgical resection or at autopsy. At presentation, nearly all of the patients have metastatic disease. | |
|
Keywords:
Aorta, Sarcoma, Computed tomography
| |
|
[HTML Full Text]
[PDF Full Text]
|
|
Author Contributions
Michelle Forman – Conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis and interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Critical revision of the article, Final approval of the version to be published Michael Mulligan – Conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis and interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Critical revision of the article, Final approval of the version to be published |
|
Guarantor of submission
The corresponding author is the guarantor of submission. |
|
Source of support
None |
|
Conflict of interest
Authors declare no conflict of interest. |
|
Copyright
© Michelle Forman et al. 2013; This article is distributed the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any means provided the original authors and original publisher are properly credited. (Please see Copyright Policy for more information.) |
|
|