HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ko, S.-F. Articles by Chen, W.-J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ko, S.-F. Articles by Chen, W.-J. Related Collections Pleura

Ann Thorac Surg 2003;76:219-224
© 2003 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

---

Original article: general thoracic

Castleman disease of the pleura: experience with eight surgically proven cases

^a Departments of Radiology, Keelung Hsien and Taoyuen Hsien, Taiwan
^b Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Keelung Hsien and Taoyuen Hsien, Taiwan
^c Department of Pathology, Chang Gung University, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung Hsien, Taiwan
^d Department of Radiology, Chang Gung University, Chang Gung Memorial Hospitals at Keelung and Linkou, Keelung Hsien and Taoyuen Hsien, Taiwan

Accepted for publication January 22, 2003.

^* Address reprint requests to Dr Ko, Department of Radiology, Chang Gung University, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Kaohsiung, 123, Ta-Pei Road, Niao-Sung Hsiang, Kaohsiung Hsien, 833, Taiwan.
e-mail: sfatko{at}adm.cgmh.org.tw

BACKGROUND: Castleman disease of the pleura is unusual, and we present our experience with eight surgically proven cases.

METHODS: Between 1980 and 2002, 8 patients (7 women and 1 man; age range, 20 to 53 years; mean, 26.5 years) with surgically proven, pleural Castleman disease (six hyaline vascular type, one plasma cell type, and one mixed type) were encountered. Their clinical, imaging, and surgical findings were reviewed.

RESULTS: Five patients were asymptomatic, 1 had dyspnea, 1 had cough, and 1 experienced chest discomfort. Chest radiography showed a well-circumscribed interlobar, cardiophrenic, or paraaortic mass in 6 patients, a massive effusion in 1, and a focal diaphragmatic bulge in 1. Six tumors showed varying degrees of contrast enhancement (10 to 95 HU; mean, 46 HU) on computed tomography. Three cases appeared as well-defined, heterogeneously hyperintense pleural masses on magnetic resonance imaging. The masses varied in size from 3 to 10 cm (mean, 5.2 cm). Five masses greater than 5 cm had prominent pleural arterial blood supply and severe adhesions requiring thoracotomy and resection of nearby structures for radical tumor excision. Blood loss from patients varied between 100 and 850 mL (mean, 620 mL). No tumor recurrence was noted during follow-up (range, 1 to 16 years; mean, 6.5 years).

CONCLUSIONS: Pleural Castleman disease predominately affects young women and manifests as a well-circumscribed mass with a varying degree of contrast enhancement on computed tomography and heterogeneity on magnetic resonance imaging. Tumors greater than 5 cm have profuse pleural blood supplies and severe adhesion necessitating open thoracotomy and resection of neighboring structures. Radical resection can produce a satisfactory outcome.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				W. Swee, A. M. Housseini, J. F. Angle, D. R. Jones, T. M. Daniel, U. C. Turba, E. A. Abdel-Gawad, and K. D. Hagspiel Preoperative Embolization of Castleman's Disease Using Microspheres Ann. Thorac. Surg., December 1, 2009; 88(6): 1999 - 2001. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]