Ruptured giant intrathoracic lipoblastoma in a 4-month-old infant: CT and MR findings.
BACKGROUND
We describe a 4-month-old infant with a ruptured intrathoracic lipoblastoma arising from the parietal pleura and associated with a pleural effusion.


OBJECTIVE
The clinical presentation was rapidly evolving respiratory distress. The chest radiograph showed a large mass and a pleural effusion in the right thoracic cavity. CT demonstrated an inhomogeneous low-attenuation mass which was 7 cm in diameter and which showed areas of enhancement after intravenous contrast medium. MRI showed a fatty intrathoracic mass with intratumoral streaks and whorls, which were attributed to loose fibrovascular connective tissue on pathological examination.


RESULTS
Thoracotomy and pathological examination revealed a ruptured intrathoracic lipoblastoma arising from the parietal pleura.


CONCLUSIONS
The pleural effusion might have suggested rupture of the tumour.
Park
C H
CH
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Pusan National University Hospital, 1-10, Ami-dong, Seo-gu, Pusan 602-739, South Korea.
Kim
K I
KI
Lim
Y T
YT
Chung
S W
SW
Lee
C H
CH
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008067:Lipoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D016066:Pleural Effusion, Malignant / Q000175:diagnosis; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous / Q000175:diagnosis; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed