Elastofibroma dorsi: clinical experiences of 13 cases and review of the literature

Aim: Elastofibroma dorsi (ELD) is a rare soft tissue benign tumor of the chest wall. We aimed to investigate the epidemiological, clinical, paraclinical, and treatment aspects of ELD. In the period between January 2009 and March 2018, 13 patients who underwent surgery for ELD were retrospectively analyzed in our study. Material and Method: Data of 13 ELD patients who underwent surgery were obtained retrospectively from medical records. Clinical findings were evaluated in terms of radiological, pathological and long-term results and compared with literature data. Results: During the study period 13 cases were operated for elastofibroma dorsi. Mean age was 52,4 (36-68) and there were 12 females and 1 male patient. The tumor was located on the right side in 8 patients (61,5 %), on the left in 4 patients (30,7 %) and bilaterally in 1 patient (7,6 %). All patients had complaints of swelling and back pain developed during the shoulder movements. All patients underwent complete resections. The tumor size ranged from 5 to 12 cm. The mean length of hospital stay was 3,6 days (1-6 days) with a morbidity of 15,3 % (seroma observed in 2 patients). The mean follow-up was 29,3 months (4-76 months). In the follow-up period, clinical symptoms of all cases were declined and no recurrence was observed. Discussion: Elastofibroma dorsi is a rare pseudotumoral lesion of soft tissue. In symptomatic cases, surgical excision should be preferred. When encountering painful masses in the periscapular area in elderly female patients, ELD should be considered on diagnosis.