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Atypical mediastinal lipomatosis.

Saurabh S Dhawan¹, Rami Khouzam

¹Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

Heart & Lung : the Journal of Critical Care

|May 19, 2007

Summary

This study reports a rare case of mediastinal lipomatosis, a condition of excess fat in the chest, in an elderly male without obesity or steroid use. Diagnostic imaging confirmed the fatty infiltration, highlighting an unusual presentation of this condition.

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Area of Science:

Cardiology
Radiology
Pathology

Background:

Mediastinal lipomatosis is a rare condition characterized by excessive fat accumulation in the mediastinum.
It is often associated with endogenous or exogenous steroid excess or obesity.
This case presents a unique instance without these typical risk factors.

Observation:

An elderly male patient presented with dyspnea on exertion.
Chest radiography revealed an enlarged cardiac silhouette with a characteristic "double contour" effect.
Transthoracic echocardiography suggested diffuse pericardial fatty infiltration distorting the left atrium.

Findings:

Computed tomography of the chest confirmed mediastinal lipomatosis by measuring radiodensity in Hounsfield units.
Serum cortisol levels were within the normal range.

Related Experiment Videos

This represents the second reported case of mediastinal lipomatosis in the absence of steroid excess or obesity.

Implications:

This case expands the understanding of the potential etiologies and presentations of mediastinal lipomatosis.
It underscores the importance of considering rare diagnoses even in the absence of typical risk factors.
Advanced imaging techniques are crucial for accurate diagnosis and characterization of mediastinal lipomatosis.