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Posterior mediastinal thymus: case report and literature review
Lihua Jiang1, Baiping Sun, Yulong Zheng
1The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Background:
The incidence of aberrant thymus in the posterior mediastinum is very uncommon. It is difficult to exclude malignancy before surgical procedure.
Case Presentation:
In a six-month-old male coughing for two weeks prior to admission a posterior mediastinal mass was found incidentally by chest roentgenogram. Thoracotomy was performed. Histologic study revealed normal thymic tissue.
Conclusion:
When a mass located in the posterior mediastinum, ectopic thymus should be included in differential diagnosis. Imaging techniques may spare thoracotomy. Ectopic thymus has a benign clinical course, and surgical resection is not recommended.
