Critical Limb Ischemia as a Rare Presentation of Malignant Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Pleura.

BACKGROUND Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) of the pleura is a rare fibroblastic neoplasm. It is commonly found incidentally on imaging and is usually benign but has significant potential to recur as a malignant tumor. Patients present asymptomatically or with pulmonary symptoms such as cough or shortness of breath. Cardiac invasion of an SFT can create an avenue for peripheral tumor embolization and critical limb ischemia, as in this case report. There is no prior published report of recurring malignant SFT presenting as critical limb ischemia. CASE REPORT We report a rare presentation of malignant SFT recurrence in a 57-year-old woman with critical limb ischemia of both lower extremities secondary to bilateral tumor emboli. The patient's primary tumor was treated with surgical resection alone. Upon recurrence, the tumor growth was so extensive that it was no longer amenable to surgical resection at the time of her critical limb ischemia. The patient presented with bilateral numbness and tingling, without any pulmonary symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Although it is sporadic, clinicians should know that an aggressive malignant SFT can embolize and present as critical limb ischemia. The possibility of tumor emboli provides a pressing reason to surgically resect SFT masses in their early stages before any cardiac invasion.