Chronic Expanding Hematoma of the Thorax

ABSTRACT

We report the first case in Korea of a chronic expanding hematoma, which presented as a huge mass in the pleural cavity. A 67-year-old woman exhibiting a slowly-expanding intrathoracic mass, as revealed by a chest radiograph, was admitted to our hospital. The patient had undergone a pneumonectomy 37 years earlier during treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis. Computed tomography revealed a huge mass in her right hemithorax. The differential diagnosis of this mass included chronic empyema combined with a malignancy, such as lymphoma or a soft tissue sarcoma. The tumor, which was classified as an encapsulated chronic hematoma, was removed surgically. Samples sent for histopathological and microbiological analysis revealed no evidence of neoplasia or infection. The patient was finally diagnosed with a chronic expanding hematoma of the thorax. This case is particularly rare due to the patient's development of a very large mass after undergoing treatment for tuberculosis more than 30 years earlier.