Giant Lipoma Originating from the Right Ventricular Infundibulum - A Case
Report
Lucian Florin Dorobantu
1
, Ovidiu Stiru
1
, Catalina Andreea Parasca
1*
, Vlad Anton Iliescu
1
and Serban Ion Bubenek-Turconi
2
1
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, "CC Iliescu" Emergency Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases, Bucharest, Romania
2
Department of Intensive Care, "CC Iliescu" Emergency Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases, Bucharest, Romania
*
Corresponding author: Catalina Andreea Parasca, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, "CC Iliescu" Emergency Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases, Bucharest,
Romania, Tel: +40-773-842-692; Fax: + 40-21-317-52-21; E-mail: catalina.parasca@gmail.com
Received date: June 7, 2015; Accepted date: June 25, 2015, Published date: June 30, 2015
Copyright: ©2015 Dorobantu FL, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Known as a rare benign cardiac tumor, epicardial lipoma is often an asymptomatic condition discovered due to
increasing use of diagnostic imaging techniques. We report a case of a 54-year old patient referred to our institution
with mild dyspnea, chough and an enlarged cardiac siluette on a routine chest X-ray. A large intrapericardial mass
suggestive for lipoma encompassing the left and right ventricles was detected by echocardiographic examination
and computer tomography scan. Resection of a 650 g mass with right ventricular infundibulum origin was performed
via sternotomy, with histopathological confirmation of epicardial lipoma.
Keywords: Benign tumour; Epicardial lipoma; Surgery
Introduction
Cardiac lipoma accounts for 10% of the benign tumors of the heart,
generally consisting of encapsulated fatty tissue with variable origin
and location [1]. Although they can present with symptoms such as
fatigue, dyspnea, palpitations, chest pain or discomfort, many of the
diagnosed cardiac lipomas are asymptomatic and represent an
incidental finding on imaging studies [2]. In rare cases, when the
tumoral mass becomes very large in size, electrocardiographic
abnormalities, ventricular tachycardia and even sudden death have
been described, together with pronounced symptoms of left or right
outflow tract obstruction [3].
Case report
A 54-year-old man with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class
III dyspnea and non-productive cough presented in a medium-care
hospital. Beside hypertension and obesity class 1, there were no
remarkable findings on physical examination. All laboratory testing,
including erythrocyte sedimentation rate, serum C-reactive protein
concentration and white blood cell count were within normal limits,
yet the patient had a history of previously diagnosed and treated
dyslipidemia. The electrocardiogram showed normal sinus rhythm
with no additional pathological findings. The chest X-ray revealed an
enlargement of the cardiac silhouette and bilateral hilar abnormalities,
without evidence of pleural effusion (Figure 1a).
As further investigations were required, the patient was referred to
our clinic. While standard initial testing was unremarkable, on
echocardiographic examination a large intrapericardic mass was
described, approximately 11 cm length, 6 cm width and 2 cm
thickness, encapsulated, with moderate echogenicity and surrounding
the right and left ventricle. Although suggestive for lipomatous tumor,
a CT scan was performed to exclude other possible conditions with
pericardial involvement. Diagnostic imaging confirmed initial
suspicion of intrapericardic lipomatous tumor (Figures 1b and 1c). As
the patient was symptomatic, there was a clear indication for surgical
resection of the intrapericadic tumor.
Figure 1: Preoperative imaging studies: (A) Chest X-ray showing
enlargement of the cardiac silhouette; (B) Echocardiography
examination showing a echogenic large intrapericardic mass; (C, D)
CT-scan showing intrapericardic mass mimicking pericardial
effusion.
Dorobantu et al., J Clin Exp Cardiolog 2015, 6:6
DOI: 10.4172/2155-9880.1000379
Case Report Open Access
J Clin Exp Cardiolog
ISSN:2155-9880 JCEC, an open access journal
Volume 6 • Issue 6 • 1000379
Journal of Clinical & Experimental
Cardiology
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ISSN: 2155-9880