Asymptomatic giant mediastinal mass: a rare case of thymolipoma

Thymolipoma is a very rare benign neoplasm of the thymus. We present the case of a 42-year-old male with a massive mediastinal tumor discovered on a chest X-ray after a motorcycle accident. The patient had no complaints, and his physical examination was unremarkable. Chest CT scans revealed a lipoma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Jornal brasileiro de pneumologia 2009-10, Vol.35 (10), p.1049-1052
Main Authors: Mourad, Omar Moté Abou, Andrade, Filipe Moreira de, Abrahão, Pedro, Monnerat, Andréa, Judice, Luiz Felippe
Format: Article
Language:eng ; por
Subjects:
Adult
Humans
Lipoma - diagnosis
Male
Mediastinal Neoplasms - diagnosis
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Thymus Neoplasms - diagnosis
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Summary:Thymolipoma is a very rare benign neoplasm of the thymus. We present the case of a 42-year-old male with a massive mediastinal tumor discovered on a chest X-ray after a motorcycle accident. The patient had no complaints, and his physical examination was unremarkable. Chest CT scans revealed a lipomatous mass containing areas of soft tissue density. The patient was submitted to median sternotomy expanded to left anterolateral thoracotomy, resulting in the complete excision of the tumor. The pathological diagnosis was thymolipoma. Thymolipoma usually attains enormous dimensions by the time of diagnosis, and the occasional symptoms are related to compression of adjacent structures. Surgical resection is the treatment of choice and offers the only possibility of cure. The airway deserves special care during anesthesia induction.
ISSN:1806-3713
1806-3756
1806-3756
1806-3713
DOI:10.1590/S1806-37132009001000012