Vascular Leiomyosarcoma Masquerading as Chronic Deep Venous Thrombosis

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.

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Publication Details

Journal
Clinical Nuclear Medicine
Published
2025-12-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1097/rlu.0000000000006240
Primary Topic
Cardiac tumors and thrombi
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Vascular Leiomyosarcoma Masquerading as Chronic Deep Venous Thrombosis

Ida L. Phillips, Janet H. Pollard, Paul A. DiCamillo, Mohammed Milhem et al.
Clinical Nuclear Medicine
Cardiac tumors and thrombi
article

Vascular Leiomyosarcoma Masquerading as Chronic Deep Venous Thrombosis

Ida L. Phillips, Janet H. Pollard, Paul A. DiCamillo, Mohammed Milhem, Jason Chen
article en

Abstract

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.

Clinical Nuclear MedicineVol. 51(2)
University of Iowa (US), University of Iowa Health Care (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 43%
Cardiac tumors and thrombi
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