Melville, David

Intravascular lipomas are rare benign tumors composed of adipose tissue that originate from the walls of blood vessels. They most commonly arise from veins, are typically asymptomatic, and rarely occur in the lower extremities. When large, these tumors can cause symptoms related to venous obstruction, such as swelling and pain. We report a case of a 75-year-old man with an intravascular lipoma in the right common femoral vein, identified during evaluation of lower extremity swelling and poorly healing ulcers. Surgical resection was ultimately required. This case contributes to the few published reports of pathologically proven symptomatic intravascular lipomas involving the lower extremity veins. Comprehensive preoperative imaging played a critical role in characterizing the lesion. The case facilitates a discussion of key differential diagnoses, such as atypical lipomatous tumors/well-differentiated liposarcoma and leiomyosarcoma.

AbstractPeripheral spondyloarthritis (pSpA) encompasses multiple entities affecting the musculoskeletal system with classic findings of synovitis, enthesitis, and tenosynovitis. It remains poorly defined when compared with the axial spondyloarthritides due to nonspecific symptoms, ill-defined imaging findings, and lack of specific testable biomarkers. Previous research has tried to distinguish between the two disease entities using clinical presentations, scoring systems, and radiographic findings; however, overlap remains. We summarize the current classification of pSpA, imaging findings, and the distinction between these entities and axial spondyloarthritis.