Intravenous lipoma and pulmonary sarcoidosis treated with prednisone

Abstract

Corticosteroid-induced lipomatosis is not a rare condition, but lipoma in the central veins has scarcely been described. According to the databases consulted, this is the first report of a lipoma within the central veins coexistent with long-term use of corticosteroid. It involved a 47-year-old male under treatment for pulmonary sarcoidosis with prednisone. Computerized tomography of the thorax was performed and incidentally the images showed a mass within the central veins with the characteristics of lipoma. He was asymptomatic and refused surgical procedures. The intraluminal lipoma originated in the right brachiocephalic and subclavian veins. Control tomography showed a slow development of this lipoma, without obstructive effects or malignant features. Oral prednisone was changed for methotrexate. The patient is asymptomatic and under longstanding out-patient surveillance. Corticosteroid treatments for sarcoidosis can play a role in the development of intravascular lipoma, but this association is not well defined. Case reports could contribute to clarifying whether this relationship is causal or merely casual.