2010 Volume 24 Issue 6 Pages 924-928
A 60-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a 15-cm mass in the lower lobe of the left lung. Although he was diagnosed with pleomorphic carcinoma clinical stage IIIA (T3N2M0), we performed surgery because of rapid tumor progression and recurrent bloody sputum. The lower pulmonary vein was cut using a stapling device (Multifire Endo GIA 30, 2.5 mm; Auto Suture, Tyco Healthcare, Norwalk, CT, USA) due to poor mobility of the left lower lobe. After stapling, we stopped monitoring the right radial artery, and coldness of the arm appeared. Post-operative angiography revealed occlusion of the right brachial artery, and embolectomy was performed 3.5 hours after the surgery. The pathological diagnosis was tumor embolism due to lung cancer. Although tumor embolism is rare, it should be considered during preoperative assessment and surgery when invasion of the pulmonary vein is suspected.
