title: Leiomyosarcoma of the pulmonary artery--a diagnostic chameleon.
abstract: A 60-year-old woman suffered from right-sided pain in the back and dyspnea suspicious for chronic pulmonary thromboembolism. Since computed tomography demonstrated a progressive filling defect within the left pulmonary artery, a transvenous biopsy was taken, which demonstrated malignant sarcoma. The patient underwent left-sided pneumonectomy with the aid of cardiopulmonary bypass. In case of a suspected 'chronic' pulmonary embolism with occlusion of a main pulmonary artery, as may be seen with imaging techniques, a sarcomatous disease should be ruled out, especially if there are no coagulation disorders, and the tumor obliterations progress in serial CT scans despite effective anticoagulation.
authors.affiliation: Klinik und Poliklinik für Thorax-, Herz- und Gefässchirurgie, Universitätsklinik Münster, Albert Schweitzer Strasse 33, D-48149, Münster, Germany. andreas.hoffmeier@thgms.uni-muenster.de
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoffmeier
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Semik
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Fallenberg
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Scheld
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007890:Leiomyosarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011651:Pulmonary Artery; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000175:diagnosis; D019043:Vascular Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*