Interventricular septal fat-containing mass most consistent with cardiac lipoma in an adult with tuberous sclerosis complex.
- 1Department of Radiology, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Iowa City, IA, USA.
- 2Department of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT, USA.
Abstract
Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a multisystem genetic disorder in which cardiac rhabdomyomas and myocardial fatty foci are recognized cardiac manifestations, whereas discrete cardiac lipoma-like masses are uncommon. We report a 42-year-old woman with genetically and clinically confirmed TSC who underwent contrast-enhanced chest CT for surveillance of pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis. CT demonstrated a well-circumscribed homogeneous macroscopic-fat attenuation mass centered in the mid-to-apical interventricular septum, measuring 2.8 × 2.2 × 2.0 cm with mean attenuation of approximately -92 HU and mild contour bulging toward the right ventricular cavity. The discrete mass-like morphology and homogeneous macroscopic fat favored cardiac lipoma over a typical TSC-associated myocardial fatty focus, although definitive distinction remains limited in the absence of dedicated cardiac MRI or histopathologic confirmation. This case emphasizes the imaging differential of fat-containing myocardial lesions in adults with TSC and the importance of integrating lesion morphology, size, tissue composition, and mass effect rather than relying on septal location alone.
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BibTeX
@article{dhakal2026interventricular,
title = {{Interventricular septal fat-containing mass most consistent with cardiac lipoma in an adult with tuberous sclerosis complex.}},
author = {Saubhagya Dhakal and Paulo Savoia and Nikahat Yasmine and Manisha Sharma},
journal = {Radiology case reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.radcr.2026.09.027},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42909378},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Interventricular septal fat-containing mass most consistent with cardiac lipoma in an adult with tuberous sclerosis complex.
AU - Saubhagya Dhakal
AU - Paulo Savoia
AU - Nikahat Yasmine
AU - Manisha Sharma
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
JO - Radiology case reports
DO - 10.1016/j.radcr.2026.09.027
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42909378
AB - Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a multisystem genetic disorder in which cardiac rhabdomyomas and myocardial fatty foci are recognized cardiac manifestations, whereas discrete cardiac lipoma-like masses are uncommon. We report a 42-year-old woman with genetically and clinically confirmed TSC who underwent contrast-enhanced chest CT for surveillance of pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis. CT demonstrated a well-circumscribed homogeneous macroscopic-fat attenuation mass centered in the mid-to-apical interventricular septum, measuring 2.8 × 2.2 × 2.0 cm with mean attenuation of approximately -92 HU and mild contour bulging toward the right ventricular cavity. The discrete mass-like morphology and homogeneous macroscopic fat favored cardiac lipoma over a typical TSC-associated myocardial fatty focus, although definitive distinction remains limited in the absence of dedicated cardiac MRI or histopathologic confirmation. This case emphasizes the imaging differential of fat-containing myocardial lesions in adults with TSC and the importance of integrating lesion morphology, size, tissue composition, and mass effect rather than relying on septal location alone.
SN - 1930-0433
ER -