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Granulomatous foreign body reaction simulating chest wall tumor over previous thoracotomy site

A male patient presented with a painless, slowly-growing chest wall mass in the site corresponding to the surgical wound of a previous thoracotomy for correction of aortic coarctation done fifteen years before. Chest CT scan showed tumor-like lesions with well-defined edges and osteolysis of the adjacent ribs. The patient was submitted to a chest wall resection and reconstruction, whose histological examination showed granular histiocytes and granulomatous reaction to necrohemorragic material. This is a rare event on medical practice. A review of the subject has been done in the literature.

thoracic neoplasms; foreign body reaction; thoracotomy


Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisiologia Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Patologia, Laboratório de Poluição Atmosférica, Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 455, 01246-903 São Paulo SP Brazil, Tel: +55 11 3060-9281 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: jpneumo@terra.com.br