title: Littoral cell angioma of the spleen mimicking posttransplantation lymphoma in a 63-year-old renal transplant patient.
abstract: In addition to lymphomas, vascular tumors represent the most common neoplasms of the spleen. Littoral cell angiomas are benign vascular tumors originating from the littoral cells lining the splenic sinuses. In this report, we describe the case of a 63-year-old patient who developed night sweats 16 months after renal transplantation. Diagnostic workup showed multiple splenic masses believed to represent lymphoma infiltration to the spleen. Lymph nodes and bone marrow were unaffected, and diagnostic splenectomy was performed. Histological examination of the pathological specimen from the splenectomy specimen showed multiple littoral cell angiomas of the spleen. We recommend that physicians involved in the area of organ transplantation, especially kidneys, remain alert for other rarer splenic lesions in transplant recipients than posttransplantation lymphoma. More specific tools need to be developed to aid in the differential diagnosis of splenic masses to avoid splenectomy in patients with littoral cell angiomas.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology and Immunology, University Hospital of the RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany. amuehlfeld@ukaachen.de
authors.forename: Anja Susanne
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Mühlfeld
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Eitner
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perez-Bouza
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Knuechel
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Heintz
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Floege
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D013154:Spleen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D013160:Splenic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed