Giant intrapericardial lipoma: Clinical and forensic implications

• Published in: Vojnosanitetski pregled Vol. 80; no. 3; pp. 275 - 278
• Main Authors: Bogdanovic, Milenko, Pavlekic, Snezana, Milosevic, Maja, Radnic, Bojana, Lakcevic, Jovana, Veljkovic, Stefan, Alempijevic, Djordje, Babic, Milos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Military Health Department, Ministry of Defance, Serbia 2023
• Subjects: autopsy; cause of death; diagnosis; lipoma; myocardial infarction; pericardium; syncope
• ISSN: 0042-8450; 2406-0720
• DOI: 10.2298/VSP200922023B

Introduction. Even though lipomas are the most common benign tumors, they are rarely found in the pericardial cavity. Although histopathologically benign, they can cause life-threatening complications by rapid growth and may there-fore be clinically considered malignant. Case report. We present an 80-year-old female who was injured during a syncopal episode when falling from a standing height and suffered bodily injuries for which she was hospitalized. In the further course of her short-term hospital treatment, death occurred, and the cause of death was marked as ?un-known?. At the autopsy, a dilated and tense pericardium filling up a large part of the chest cavity was noted. A well-encapsulated soft tissue mass, 2 0 ? 1 8 ? 3 cm in size, weighing 820 g, was visualized in the pericardial cavity. Histopathological examination revealed that the mass was a lipoma and showed acute myocardial necrosis; therefore, it was assumed that the cause of death was probably due to the compression of lipoma on coronary arteries. Conclusion. Even though intrapericardial lipomas are benign tumors, they can cause life-threatening complications and sudden cardiac death. There are numerous diagnostic methods capable of detecting intrapericardial lipomas, and with timely treatment, the patient can be cured.