A 43-year-old woman presented to us with progressive breathlessness, dry cough and weight loss. A chest radiograph showed homogeneous opacification of the entire left hemithorax. A contrast enhanced computed tomography (CECT) scan of the thorax showed a large intrathoracic mass occupying almost the entire left hemithorax and appeared grossly inoperable. A transcutaneous CT guided tru-cut biopsy revealed a solitary fibrous tumour. We reviewed the CT scans based on the biopsy report, and, in retrospect, the mediastinal vessels seemed more stretched and pushed by the tumor rather than directly infiltrated by it. We performed an exploratory thoracotomy and to our surprise, were able to dissect the mass quite easily off the mediastinum. She had an uneventful postoperative recovery, and the final histopathology confirmed a solitary fibrous tumor. We report this case to emphasize that a cursory clinico-radiological interpretation can dissuade surgical intervention in these patients.

作者：Rohan G, Thakkar；Sumeet, Shah；Amol, Dumbre；Mukta A, Ramadwar；Rajesh C, Mistry；C S, Pramesh

来源：Annals of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery : official journal of the Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons of Asia 2011 年 17卷 4期