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Updated: May 10, 2026
07:12
Establishment of a Simple and Effective Rat Model for Intraoperative Parathyroid Gland Imaging
Published on: August 17, 2022
Ectopic lipoadenoma of parathyroid
Mohammad Hossein Sanei1, Azar Naimi, Seyed Abbas Tabatabaei
1Department of Pathology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Summary
A rare parathyroid lipoadenoma presented as a mediastinal mass. This non-functional tumor, resembling parathyroid tissue, was diagnosed in a patient with multinodular goiter.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Pathology
- Thoracic Surgery
Background:
- Parathyroid lipoadenomas are exceptionally rare causes of mediastinal masses.
- Clinical presentation often mimics common parathyroid diseases linked to primary hyperparathyroidism.
Observation:
- A 58-year-old woman with a large multinodular goiter was found to have a posterior mediastinal mass via thoracic CT scan.
- Microscopic examination revealed thyroid tissue consistent with multinodular goiter and a separate mass.
- The mediastinal mass exhibited epithelial cells in follicular and nested patterns interspersed with mature adipose tissue, closely resembling parathyroid tissue.
Findings:
- Immunohistochemistry excluded thyroid, mesenchymal, and neuroendocrine origins for the mediastinal mass.
- The mass was definitively diagnosed as a parathyroid lipoadenoma.
- This case represents a rare instance of a non-functional parathyroid lipoadenoma.
Implications:
- Highlights the importance of considering rare diagnoses in mediastinal mass evaluations.
- Contributes to the limited literature on parathyroid lipoadenomas, aiding future diagnostic efforts.
- Underscores the utility of immunohistochemistry in differentiating mediastinal tumors with ambiguous morphology.
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