Interventricular septal fat-containing mass most consistent with cardiac lipoma in an adult with tuberous sclerosis complex
Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a multisystem genetic disorder in which cardiac rhabdomyomas and myocardial fatty foci are recognized cardiac manifestations, whereas discrete cardiac lipoma-like masses are uncommon. We report a 42-year-old woman with genetically and clinically confirmed TSC who underwent contrast-enhanced chest CT for surveillance of pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis. CT demonstrated a well-circumscribed homogeneous macroscopic-fat attenuation mass centered in the mid-to-apical interventricular septum, measuring 2.8 × 2.2 × 2.0 cm with mean attenuation of approximately −92 HU and mild contour bulging toward the right ventricular cavity. The discrete mass-like morphology and homogeneous macroscopic fat favored cardiac lipoma over a typical TSC-associated myocardial fatty focus, although definitive distinction remains limited in the absence of dedicated cardiac MRI or histopathologic confirmation. This case emphasizes the imaging differential of fat-containing myocardial lesions in adults with TSC and the importance of integrating lesion morphology, size, tissue composition, and mass effect rather than relying on septal location alone.
Authors
- Paulo Savoia Dias da Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0983-1930)
- Saubhagya Dhakal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5873-1911)
- Manisha Sharma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6692-902X)
- Nikahat Yasmine (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5791-6223)
Institutions
- University of Iowa (US)
- University of Connecticut (US)
- University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Radiology Case Reports
- Published
- 2026-10-13
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radcr.2026.09.027
- Primary Topic
- Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00