2017 Volume 31 Issue 4 Pages 506-510
Chemical shift MRI can identify intracellular lipids, which leads to diagnoses such as adrenal adenomas. Radiologically, it is well-known that intranodular lipids are characteristic of pulmonary hamartoma.
A 66-year-old man was found to have an abnormal shadow on a chest radiograph. The patient was followed up after being diagnosed with a benign tumor. Six years later, the tumor became enlarged, and was thought to be a candidate for surgical resection. Chemical shift MRI revealed intranodular lipids in the tumor. A pulmonary hamartoma was strongly suspected based on the radiologic diagnosis. Tumor enucleation was carried out without minimum loss of lung parenchyma.
Our case showed the potential usefulness of chemical shift MRI for the diagnosis of pulmonary hamartomas. It also facilitates less invasive lung resection such as tumor enucleation.
