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Stewart-Treves syndrome: MR imaging of a postmastectomy upper-limb chronic lymphedema with angiosarcoma

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Abstract

The rare occurrence of angiosarcoma in postmastectomy upper-limb lymphedema with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is discussed. Unfamiliarity with this aggressive vascular tumor and its harmless appearance often leads to delayed diagnosis. Angiosarcoma complicating chronic lymphedema may be low in signal intensity on T2-weighting and short tau inversion recovery (STIR) imaging reflecting the densely cellular, fibrous stroma, and sparsely vascularized tumor histology. Additional administration of intravenous contrast medium revealed significant enhancement of the tumorous lesions. Awareness of angiosarcoma and its MR imaging appearance in patients with chronic lymphedema may be a key to early diagnosis or allow at least inclusion in the differential diagnosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital of Bern, 3010, Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland

    S. T. Schindera & S. E. Anderson

  2. Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Bern, Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland

    M. Streit & U. Kaelin

  3. Department of Pathology, University Hospital of Bern, Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland

    E. Stauffer

  4. Department of Radiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    L. Steinbach

Authors
  1. S. T. Schindera
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  2. M. Streit
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  3. U. Kaelin
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  4. E. Stauffer
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  5. L. Steinbach
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  6. S. E. Anderson
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Correspondence to S. T. Schindera.

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Schindera, S.T., Streit, M., Kaelin, U. et al. Stewart-Treves syndrome: MR imaging of a postmastectomy upper-limb chronic lymphedema with angiosarcoma. Skeletal Radiol 34, 156–160 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-004-0807-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-004-0807-5

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