Bilateral Elastofibroma Dorsi: A Case From General Practice

Elastofibroma is a benign soft tumor that is composed of elastic fibers in a background of collagenous and adipose tissue. However, the presence of multiple elastofibromas is considered a rare occasion. We report the case of a 39-year-old man who presented to our general practice clinic with a complaint of upper back swelling for the last three months. The swelling was completely painless. It was not associated with ulceration of the overlying skin. He reported that the swelling had not been increasing in size. There was no history of anorexia, weight loss, or preceding trauma. On examination, both shoulders had a normal range of motion with no restriction due to the mass lesions. To further characterize the mass lesions, the patient underwent a computed tomography scan of the thorax. It demonstrated bilateral lenticular subscapular mass lesions that were ill-defined but had similar attenuation to that of adjacent skeletal muscle along with the presence of interspersed streaks of fat. Such findings represent the diagnosis of elastofibroma. However, the patient was concerned about the possibility of the malignant nature of these lesions and insisted on having the surgical resection of the mass. The histopathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of elastofibroma. Elastofibroma is a benign soft tissue tumor that is diagnosed incidentally in the majority of cases. However, multiple elastofibroma, as in the present case, is considered unusual. The case demonstrated the radiological and histopathological features of elastofibroma. The imaging findings are characteristics and can prevent unnecessary biopsy or surgical intervention. However, if clinically indicated, surgical resection is considered curative.