Tuberc Respir Dis.  2007 Mar;62(3):232-236. 10.4046/trd.2007.62.3.232.

A Case of Primary Pulmonary Artery Sarcoma Mimicking Pulmonary Embolism: Role of PET/CT for Differential Diagnosis

• Lim SS
• Hong KH
• Shin JM
• Kim YS
• Jee YK
• Myoung NH
• Park SG
• Park JS

• KMID: 1518470
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2007.62.3.232

Abstract

Primary pulmonary artery sarcoma is a rare malignant tumor arising from the pulmonary artery. Diagnosis of primary pulmonary artery sarcoma is quite difficult and the conditon is often misdiagnosed as a more common disease, such as a pulmonary embolism. PET can help in diagnosing a pulmonary artery sarcoma due to the increased uptake of 18F-FDG in the area of the tumor. However, the poor anatomic resolution of PET has limited its clinical applications in pulmonary vascular disease. The recently developed PET/CT is the fusion of PET and CT that improves the anatomical resolution of PET. We report a case of a primary pulmonary artery sarcoma mimicking a pulmonary embolism that was diagnosed with PET/CT and confirmed with a surgical resection.

Keyword

PET/CT; Pulmonary artery sarcoma; Embolism

MeSH Terms

Diagnosis
Diagnosis, Differential*
Embolism
Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography*
Pulmonary Artery*
Pulmonary Embolism*
Sarcoma*
Vascular Diseases
Fluorodeoxyglucose F18

Figure

• 

  Figure 1 Chest PA shows ill defined consolidation and ipsilateral pleural effusion in right hemithorax.

• 

  Figure 2 CT scan shows a soft tissue mass in right main pulmonary artery and ipsilateral pleural effusion.

• 

  Figure 3 PET(A), CT(B), and fusion of PET and CT (PET/CT)(C) shows FDG uptake at right main pulmonary artery(arrow).

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  Figure 4 Exisioned lung shows yellowish round mass obstructing right main pulmonary artery(A) and histologic finding shows malignant fibrous histiocytoma with a background of spindle cells in a storiform configuration and giant cells (H&E staining, ×400)(B).

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