Liposarcomatous tumor emboli to the left iliac artery growing intraluminally into the femoral artery. A report of an operative and autopsy case

• Published in: Nihon Geka Gakkai zasshi Vol. 86; no. 3; p. 357
• Main Authors: Ito, K, Sageshima, M, Notsu, T, Araki, T, Hara, H, Mori, T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japan 01-03-1985
• Subjects: Aged; Arterial Occlusive Diseases - etiology; Arterial Occlusive Diseases - surgery; Female; Femoral Artery - surgery; Heart Neoplasms - pathology; Humans; Iliac Artery - surgery; Liposarcoma - pathology; Liposarcoma - surgery; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating
• ISSN: 0301-4894

A 74-year-old female patient with a past history of the locally recurrent tumor of the liposarcoma in the right thigh over 20 years ago received an emergency vascular operation to relieve severe ischemic symptoms in the left leg. The left femoral artery was pulseless and was filled with several long, translucent and cord-like tumors which resembled the hands of a cuttlefish. The tumors were easily removed except its root adhering to the left common iliac artery. A crossover femoro-femoral artery bypass was carried out. On the 24th postoperative day she died suddenly. The autopsy findings were as follows: A hen egg-sized tumor occupied almost whole space of the left atrium, and connected with the metastatic right lung tumor via the pulmonary vein. The sudden death was probably due to the abrupt obstruction of the mitral valve by the tumor in the left atrium. The residual tumor was noted in the left common iliac artery, but its adventitia was not involved. The pathohistological diagnosis of each tumor was same, well differentiated liposarcoma. The tumors which occluded the left iliofemoral artery must have originated from the tumor in the left atrium in form of the tumor embolism, lodged in the left common iliac artery, grown intraluminally into external iliac and femoral artery, and finally caused ischemia of the left leg.