2017 Volume 53 Issue 5 Pages 1064-1067
A 3-year-old girl who had been suffering from prolonged fever and cough was referred to our institute. Chest roentgenography showed a huge mass at the right upper thoracic cavity. Chest computed tomography also showed a huge mass that compressed the mediastinum to the left side and caused tracheal stenosis. The mass was composed mainly of adipose tissue, and blood supply to it was sparse, judging from contrast medium enhancement. Radiologists diagnosed the mass as lipoblastoma and we decided to perform an emergency operation to resect the tumor. The patient underwent the operation with right thoracotomy. The tumor originated from the right chest wall between the fourth and fifth ribs. The tumor was excised with partial resection of the parietal pleura and periosteum of the fifth rib. Lipoblastoma originating from the chest wall is rare, and the recurrence rate of lipoblastoma after the first excision is not low. Our case, in particular, was a diffuse type of lipoblastoma, and careful follow up will be needed in the future.
