2023 Volume 2 Issue 3 Pages 228-231
A 73-year-old female underwent a left knee arthroplasty procedure. Postoperative fever persisted and a chest computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) examination was performed, which showed a mass shadow in the right lower lobe of lung and a mass in the left atrium. Based on these findings, we suspected intracardiac extension of the lung tumor or another mass in the left atrium, and surgery was planned. Initially, a right lower lobectomy was performed under a video assisted thoracoscopic surgical procedure. The interlobar plane was separated, then the inferior lobe pulmonary artery was dissected, followed by dissection of the lower trunk of bronchus. A tumor was found on the cranial side of the right inferior pulmonary vein. Next, the chest was opened through a median sternotomy and artificial cardiopulmonary support was started. The tumor was found to be extending from the right inferior pulmonary vein toward the mitral valve and extraction was performed from the left atrium. The entire mass was moved to the right thoracic cavity, then the right lower lobe and mass were removed en bloc. Described herein is a rare case of pulmonary metastasis associated with a renal cell carcinoma extending into the left atrium.
