Simultaneous inflammatory pseudotumors of the coronary arteries and abdominal aorta.

ABSTRACT

We herein report a rare case of cardiac and abdominal aortic inflammatory pseudotumors (IPTs). A 64-year-old male presented with a loss of appetite, abdominal distension and general fatigue. A cardiac tumor was suspected on the basis of computed tomography scans. A needle biopsy was performed, but it did not lead to a definitive diagnosis. At the same time, a 70-mm abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) was also detected. A full sternotomy was performed, and a huge, elastic hard tumor was found around the bilateral coronary arteries, anterior side of the right atria, ascending aorta and pulmonary artery. The pathological diagnosis was IPT, which was judged to be inoperable because of its anatomical location and the fact that the patient was a Jehovah's Witness, which precluded the administration of heterologous blood transfusions. The AAA was surgically treated, and the pathological diagnosis of the aneurysmal tissue also revealed IPT. Perioral steroid therapy was initiated, and the size of the tumor did not change for 1-2 years, but then gradually increased. The patient eventually died 8 years later, and the cause of his sudden death was considered to be heart failure caused by the pressure on the right atrium and ventricle due to the enlarged cardiac tumor.