Elastofibroma dorsi. Our experience with 11 lesions

Abstract

Elastofibroma is a rare benign lesion that typically arises on the posterior chest wall beneath the scapula. The etiopathogenesis  is still unclear and the knowledge about its diagnosis and management mainly comes from small case series.
We collected all the data related to 11 Elastofibroma Dorsi treated at our institution between January 2003 and July 2014. The definitive diagnosis was made by histological examination of the mass. We analyzed the characteristic of the patients, (i.e. age, sex, dominant hand, and occupation), the presenting symptoms and signs, the preoperative investigations,  surgical management and complications comparing our findings with the current medical literature on the subject.
We  found that preoperative investigations are of limited value and when clinical presentation is typical the diagnosis could be made presumptively. Surgery should be performed under general anaesthesia since local anaesthetic infiltration and sedation are often inadequate to reduce intraoperative discomfort.