Imaging features of solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura
Typically, a well-defined, usually sharply marginated, lobulated, and solitary mass is identified within the thorax adjacent to the chest wall or diaphragm. It may be very small or very large. When large, a solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura can fill the inferior aspect of the hemithorax and mimic an elevated hemidiaphragm on a chest radiograph. The tumor is typically connected to the chest wall by a thin pedicle or stalk. Changes in patient positioning, such as with decubitus radiographs, may result in changes in position of the mass within the thorax. On CT or MRI, intense enhancement, myxoid or cystic degeneration, hemorrhage, or calcification may be seen, and no imaging findings other than presence of metastatic disease can help differentiate between benignancy and malignancy of the lesion.
