A Case of Pericardial Lipoma Diagnosed by Noninvasive Techniques

Intracardiac lipomas that consist of mature fat cells with fibrous and myxoid tissues are regarded as rather rare lesions. The diagnosis may frequently be established during surgical intervention or at autopsy. The patient presented is a 23-year-old male who had had no complaints. The lesion had been incidentally detected on x ray examination which had revealed an enlarged heart shadow. His physical examination revealed no abnormality except displacement of the heart to the right and sinus tachycardia. A solid mass derived from the pericardium was observed on CT scans and echocardiography. On CT scans the mass exhibited a density consistent with a lipoma. The patient was operated on and the mass, which was encapsulated and 19×17×10cm in size, was removed. Histopathological examination revealed a lipoma.