A 50-year-old female with rheumatoid arthritis who had a right pleuritis 2 years earlier, had a chest wall mass as shown in Fig. 1. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 48mm/h. A cystectomy was performed. Pathological study indicated a necrobiotic cyst containing rheumatoid nodules (Fig. 2). Neither fungus nor bacteria were identified.
Fig. 1
Enhanced chest computed tomography shows a protrusive chest wall mass measuring 5×5×3cm, communicating into the right pleural thickening.
Fig. 2
Pathologic findings shows rheumatoid nodule containing layer of palisaded epitheloid histiocytes adjacent to necrotic debris.
© Elsevier B.V. 2004
