Diagnosis of the case presented in the previous edition

RADIOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS

Diagnosis of the case presented in the previous edition

Dany Jasinowodolinski; Ana Paula Klautau Leite; Nestor L Müller

Fleury Center for Diagnostic Medicine, São Paulo, Brazil; Universidade Federal de São Paulo – UNIFESP, Federal University of São Paulo – São Paulo, Brazil; University of British Columbia – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Elastofibroma of the back

Comments

The elastofibromas of the back are benign soft-tissue tumors presenting slow growth. They can be bilateral, are predominant in females, and, in most cases, they are found in the inferior subscapular region, between the scapula and the thoracic wall. They are composed of elastic fibers surrounded by a dense collagen matrix.⁽¹⁾ Their pathogenesis is not yet totally understood, and it has been suggested that microtraumas caused by friction between the scapula and the thoracic wall might cause the proliferation of the fibroelastic tissue. However, this theory has not been totally proven.

Usually found in individuals over 50 years of age (in whom their prevalence can be up to 24%), elastofibromas might be related to intense physical activity. However, elastofibromas have also been described in younger individuals, including children.⁽²⁾ Frequently asymptomatic, when large, they can be palpable or cause shoulder discomfort.

In the computed tomography such lesions present indistinct margins and have density similar to the muscles, with interposed hypodense striae containing fat.⁽³⁾ The magnetic resonance shows lesions with well-defined margins, adjacent to the inferior margin of the scapula and to the thoracic wall. Elastofibromas present low signal intensity in the T1- and T2-weighted images, representing fibrous tissue, interspersed with areas of greater signal intensity corresponding to fat.⁽⁴⁾ A positron emission tomography-computed tomography scan can show accumulation of the radioactive drugs due to hypermetabolism in these lesions.⁽⁵⁾

When such a lesion is present in this typical location and with the characteristics described above, it is not necessary to perform additional tests for diagnostic confirmation.⁽⁶⁾ Some authors advocate reserving surgical resection for symptomatic cases or for those in which the diagnosis is uncertain.⁽⁷⁾

References

1. Nagamine N, Nohara Y, Ito E. Elastofibroma in Okinawa. A clinicopathologic study of 170 cases. Cancer. 1982;50(9):1794-805.

2. Jarvi OH, Lansimies PH. Subclinical elastofibromas in the scapular region in an autopsy series. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand [A]. 1975;83(1):87-108.

3. Kransdorf MJ, Meis JM, Montgomery E. Elastofibroma: MR and CT appearances with radiologic-pathologic correlation. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1992;159(3):575-9.

4. Daigeler A, Vogt PM, Busch K, Pennekamp W, Weyhe D, Lehnhardt M et al. Elastofibroma dorsi - differential diagnosis in chest wall tumours. World J Surg Oncol. 2007;5:15.

5. Majo J, Gracia I, Doncel A, Valera M, Nunez A, Guix M. Elastofibroma dorsi as a cause of shoulder pain or snapping scapula. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2001;(388):200-4.

6. Ochsner JE Sewall SA, Brooks GN, Agni R. Best Cases from the AFIP: Elastofibroma dorsi. Radiographics. 2006;26(6):1873-6.

7. Schafmayer C, Kahlke V, Leuschner I, Pai M, Tepel J. Elastofibroma dorsi as differential diagnosis in tumors of the thoracic wall. Ann Thorac Surg. 2006;82(4):1501-4.

Readers correctly diagnosing the case presented in the January/February 2007 issue:

Altair da Silva Costa Junior - Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP - São Paulo - SP

Angêlo Fernandez - Universidade de São Paulo - USP - São Paulo - SP

Daniel Hugo Winter - Universidade de São Paulo - USP - São Paulo - SP

Eduardo Werebe - Universidade de São Paulo - USP - São Paulo - SP

Elias Albino Theophilo - Hospital Paulistano - São Paulo - SP

Frederico Henrique Sobral de Oliveira - Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP - São Paulo - SP

Henrique Zambenedetti Werlang - Liverpool, UK

José Augusto A Araujo - Hospital Municipal Souza Aguiar - Rio de Janeiro - RJ

Nagib Curi - Universidade de São Paulo - USP - São Paulo - SP

Patrícia De Bortoli - Centro Universitário São Camilo - CUSC - São Paulo - SP

Rodolfo Rezende Mendonça - Clínica de Imagens Médicas Radiológicas - CIMRAD - Goiania - GO

Ronaldo A Kairalla - Universidade de São Paulo - USP - São Paulo - SP

Rui Haddad - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ - Rio de Janeiro - RJ

Sergio Lopes Viana - Clínica Vila Rica - Brasília - DF

Viviane Baptista Antunes - Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP - São Paulo - SP

Winston Hidekazu Akashi Iwauchi - Hospital São Camilo - HSC - São Paulo - SP

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  20 Aug 2007
• Date of issue
  Apr 2007