Intimal-type primary sarcoma of the aorta - Report of a case with evidenceof rhabdomyosarcomatous differentiation

We report an intimal sarcoma presenting as an aortic aneurysm. A 68-year-ol d man suffered from chest pain and speech disturbance. Computed tomography showed a sacciform aneurysm of the aorta, which was resected, revealing a p olypoid tumour measuring 1.5x2x2.5 cm projecting into the lumen. This prove d to be a poorly differentiated high-grade sarcoma having morphological, im munophenotypic and ultrastructural features consistent with rhabdomyosarcom atous differentiation. Primary sarcomas of the aorta are extremely rare. Ma ny cases have been diagnosed as "intimal" on the basis of their site of ori gin, and they are not easy to classify from their histological pattern. Ele ctron microscopy and the use of a more comprehensive panel of immunohistoch emical markers should be applied in the histological classification of "int imal" sarcoma.