Latent pulmonary embolus from a retroperitoneal sarcoma.
A 52-year-old female presented with an extensive retroperitoneal sarcoma and intraluminal inferior vena caval extension. Presumably during resection, embolization of a tumor fragment occurred to the right pulmonary hilum. The patient was asymptomatic for 16 months until a right hilar mass developed on a follow-up chest x-ray. Pathological examination of the gross and microscopic sections of the pneumonectomy specimen confirmed the intra-arterial location of the tumor mass. Widespread systemic metastasis became evident soon after pneumonectomy.
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007890:Leiomyosarcoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000473:pathology; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000473:pathology