Vascular Tumors Arising in the Chest Wall: 25 Years' Experience

Chest wall resection for a giant angiomatosis lesion: A case report

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Angiomatosis lesions are very vascular.

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Surgical resection is optimal treatment.

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Preoperative treatment should be considered if reduction in tumor size will reduce surgical extent significantly.

Introduction

Angiomatosis is a rare and benign vascular lesion which can be located in various sites throughout the body, most commonly diagnosed in females in the first two decades of life.

Presentation of case

A 54-year-old female with no previous medical history presented with significant pain and discomfort associated with a 12.3 × 11.3 × 4.4 cm posterior chest wall mass invading the 4th and 5th ribs and extending into the thoracic cavity.

Discussion

Angiomatosis is a benign vascular lesion that can affect any soft tissue in the body. Typically, it has a female predilection and tends to involve the lower extremities. It is histologically characterized by a proliferation of blood vessels of varying sizes and has a high recurrence rate after excision. Significant blood loss can occur during resection.

Conclusion

Management of these lesions is challenging based on the infiltrative and vascular nature of the disease. Neoadjuvant therapy can be considered in select cases. Close surveillance is recommended due to high rates of recurrence.

MR imaging evaluation of disorders of the chest wall

Chest wall lesions constitute a diverse group of thoracic diseases, including those of soft tissue and osseous origin. MR imaging, with its superior tissue-resolving capability and multiplanar image acquisition, is an important tool for assessing chest wall lesions. In this article, the authors review common and uncommon diseases of the chest wall, with an emphasis on the MR imaging characteristics of these diseases. Among the diseases they discuss are diseases of the soft tissue including lipoma, hibernoma, liposarcoma, hemangioma, and lymphoma. They also examine diseases of the osseous thorax, including benign osseous tumors, fibrous dysplasia, and aneurysmal bone cyst. In addition, they discuss such malignant osseous tumors as osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma.