Leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava presenting as Budd-Chiari syndrome.
A case of a 72-year-old male with a leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava causing Budd-Chiari syndrome is described. Percutaneous decompression of the portal system was attempted but with no success. At autopsy, a large tumor arising from and completely obstructing the inferior vena cava was found, histologically proven to be a leiomyosarcoma. Over 50 cases of leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava have been reported in the literature, the majority of which occurred in women and 1/3 of which were associated with the Budd-Chiari syndrome. Histologically up to two mitotic figures per 10 high power fields have been scored. This case indicates the unreliability of a low mitotic index as an indicator of benign behavior of smooth muscle neoplasms of the venous system.
Taylor
R W
RW
Department of Pathology, Foothills Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Sylwestrowicz
T
T
Kossakowska
A E
AE
Urbanski
S J
SJ
Minuk
G Y
GY
D000368:Aged; D006502:Budd-Chiari Syndrome / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007890:Leiomyosarcoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000473:pathology*