A.M. Abumossalam

Pleural lipomatosis: A new pose of occult pleura effusion

Intrathoracic benign neoplasm can develop from any tissue; inside the thoracic cavity, however, infrequently, pleural lipomas can be detected, attributable to unusual adipose tissue in the pleural and subpleural layer. Asymptomatic presentation may be proven commonly and revealed by unintended radiology with a measured Hounsfield scale −100 to -50. We report a case of pleural lipomatosis by medical thoracoscopy, with multiple nodular forms. Pathological examination of the specimen confirmed the diagnosis of lipoma. A radiological diagnosis of pleural lipoma can be made by computed tomography, transthoracic ultrasound, or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry as a diagnostic investigation because of their characteristic fat attenuation. Medical thoracoscopic biopsy provides a more accurate and confirmed diagnosis. Pleural lipoma is a rare clinical pleural dilemma that needs suspicious sense and a feasible radiological diagnosis as soon as a strong evidence of malignant transformation is excluded.