Case report reveals misdiagnosed vascular leiomyosarcoma in a DVT patient, highlighting imaging importance.
A 78-year-old man with a history of DVT on apixaban presented with bilateral leg pain and dyspnea. Chest CTA ruled out pulmonary embolism but revealed bilateral pulmonary nodules. Biopsy identified a spindle cell neoplasm. 18 F-FDG PET and duplex ultrasound imaging revealed intensely FDG-avid, intraluminal masses in the right femoral and popliteal veins. MRI confirmed lesions with peripheral enhancement. Biopsy of one of the femoral vein masses showed a high-grade spindle cell neoplasm positive for SMSA and desmin, consistent with leiomyosarcoma. This rare vascular tumor mimicked DVT, highlighting the importance of multimodal imaging and biopsy in diagnosing intravascular malignancies with metastatic potential.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Phillips et al. (2025) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: