Hospital Course

The patient underwent VQ scanning, revealing total absence of perfusion of the right lung. Subsequent pulmonary arteriography showed a sharp cutoff of blood in the right pulmonary artery, consistent with a chronic pulmonary embolus or an intravascular tumor.

The patient was taken to surgery for removal of the mass. Intraoperative biopsy revealed an intra-arterial tumor. The right pulmonary artery and right lung were resected. The final pathologic diagnosis for the tumor was Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma, a form of soft tissue tumor.

Six months after the operation, the patient developed a cough with sputum production which persisted for 3 days. The patient then suffered an episode of sharp chest pain, collapsed, and died. Terminal pulmonary hemorrage associated with the operative site may have occurred.