CLINICAL REPORTS   

Chirurgia 1999 October;12(5):367-72

Copyright © 1999 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Elastofibroma dorsi

Briccoli A., Smerieri A., Di Renzo M., Guicciardi L., De Bernardinis G., Mercuri M.

Three cases of elastofibroma located in the subscapular region are reported. Elastofibroma dorsi is a rare tumor-like process that characteristically appears as an ill-defined solid mass, slowly growing, in the infrascapular region. This lesion can occur bilaterally and may appear asynchronously. Elastofibroma is not a true neoplasm but rather a reactive hyperplasia of elastic fibers. The pathologic findings are diagnostic. Magnetic Resonance imaging is the method of choice to study a soft tissue mass. The tumor contained focal areas with high-signal intensity on T1-weighted scans showing moderate to high-signal intensity with T2-weighting. The areas of low-signal intensity on both T1 and T2-weighted images corresponded histologically to fibroelastic tissue. The areas of high-signal on T1-weighting and moderate to high-signal intensity on T2-weighting reflected focal areas of fat. Differential diagnosis has to be established versus fibromatosis, dermoid tumor and soft-tissue sarcoma. Incisional biopsy is recommended even when the imaging presentation seems typical of this lesion. No treatment is necessary in the asymptomatic patient. The treatment of choice for a symptomatic or growing elastofibroma is local excision. No reported cases of malignant transformation or recurrences were observed.