A giant mesenteric desmoid tumor revealed by acute pulmonary embolism due to compression of the inferior vena cava.

Summary

We report the case of a 69-year-old man who presented to our hospital with an acute pulmonary embolism. The patient had a past history of colic surgery for a polyp with a high-grade dysplasia. Pulmonary angiography showed partial occlusion of the right superior lobe artery and partial occlusion of the middle lobe artery. The patient was given thrombolytic therapy. Abdominal computerized tomography revealed a mesenterial giant mass with compression of the inferior vena cava (IVC). A biopsy of the mass, confirming aggressive fibromatosis. This report underlines the potential of imaging investigations of abdomen and vena cava if pulmonary embolism is suspected, especially when there is no evidence of peripheral venous thrombosis or other predisposing factors.