A case with bronchogenic cyst diagnosed by reconstruction CT prior to surgery which showed cardiac abnormalities

A case report of a patient with bronchogenic cyst who presented with cardiogenic symptoms was described. The precise diagnosis was finally made after completing various diagnostic procedures which included reconstruction computed tomography. The patient, a 30-year-old man, was admitted to our hospital because of palpitation, chest pain and fever of three weeks duration. An electrocardiogram (ECG) revealed evidence suggestive of left atrial overloading and frequent atrial premature beats. A chest roentgenogram showed an abnormal shadow behind the right upper portion of the heart and a cross-sectional echocardiogram revealed abnormal echoes with ill-defined margins in the left atrium. Computed tomography (CT) revealed the presence of the left atrial tumor but left atriography suggested that it was extracardiac and compressing the left atrium. Reconstruction CT was therefore performed and the cyst was diagnosed as being in a subcarinal position. A mobile calcified mass was also demonstrated by the CT. An operation was performed and a cyst, 6 X 3 cm, was removed almost completely and a histopathological diagnosis of bronchogenic cyst was made. In this particular case, ECG abnormalities which suggest atrial damage and the diagnostic usefulness of reconstruction CT are stressed.