title: Elastofibroma: clinical results after resection of a rare tumor entity.
abstract: Elastofibroma (EF) is a benign proliferation of connective tissue and is typically located at the dorsal thoracic wall. Most patients complain about pain during motion in the shoulder girdle. The aim of our study was to evaluate the outcome after surgical treatment of EF. This study provides an overview of typical clinical findings, diagnostics and pathogenesis of this rare entity. In this retrospective study we analyzed data of 12 patients (6 male, 6 female) with EF treated in our institution between 2004 and 2012. The mean follow-up was 4.7 years (range: 5 months to 7.5 years). All tumors were found to be unilateral and all patients had a negative medical history for EF. Visual analogue scale and range of motion (ROM) was documented pre- and postoperatively. In all patients indication for surgical resection was pain or uneasiness during movement. There was no statistically significant difference in ROM of the shoulder between pre- and postoperatively but all patients reported significantly less pain after surgical resection. Patients benefited from tumor resection by a significant reduction of pain levels and improvement of the motion-dependent discomfort.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, University Clinic Dusseldorf , Germany.
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pilge
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, University Clinic Dusseldorf , Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hesper
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology , Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Boris Michael
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Holzapfel
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Technical University of Munich , Germany.
authors.forename: Peter Michael
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Prodinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Technical University of Munich , Germany.
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Straub
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, University Clinic Dusseldorf , Germany.
authors.forename: Rüdiger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krauspe
keywords: elastofibroma; orphan disease; surgical outcome; tumor