title: Leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava--a very rare case report.
abstract: The authors present a case report of a patient with abdominal pain that began 6 months before hospital admission. Ambulatory abdominal echography and computed tomography (CT) revealed partial thrombosis of the inferior vena cava (IVC) with right atrial extension. During hospitalization, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed aspects suggesting a tumoral lesion of the right atrium, rather than a thrombus, with tumoral extension to the IVC. The echocardiogram showed images suggesting a right atrial tumor. Transesophageal echocardiography confirmed the diagnosis. During surgery, an IVC tumor was found invading the right atrium, which histopathology confirmed as a leiomyosarcoma. The authors present this case because this type of tumor is rare (21 cases worldwide at this anatomic site), it is difficult to diagnose, and its management has not been adequately described. The authors review the literature relevant to this case.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Cardiologia, Hospital de São Bernardo, Setúbal.
authors.forename: Nuno
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Silvestre
authors.forename: Leonel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bernardino
authors.forename: Fátima
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Augusto
authors.forename: Moradas
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: António
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.forename: António
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Canada
authors.forename: Sância
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Lopes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Inês
mesh_terms: D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007890:Leiomyosarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000175:diagnosis*; D019043:Vascular Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior