Retrosternal tumor in the superior mediastinum: incidental finding, case report

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24054/cbs.v2i4.3292

Keywords:

Incidental, thymus, case report, Mediastinal cyst

Abstract

Primary mediastinal cysts are rare, accounting for 12% to 18% of mediastinal lesions. Thymic cysts, which are uncommon and benign, make up 1% to 3% of mediastinal masses and are often diagnosed after resection, as imaging studies typically cannot determine their etiology. They may be congenital (unilocular) or acquired (multilocular) due to inflammation or neoplastic conditions. Although 60% of patients are asymptomatic, symptomatic cysts require surgical resection, which is usually curative. We present the case of a 46-year-old female patient who presented with worsening orthopnea, perioral cyanosis, and a weight loss of 14 kg over two years. Imaging studies revealed a retrosternal mass in the superior mediastinum, independent of neck structures. The thoracic board concluded that the lesion was possibly thymic in origin, suggesting thymoma or adenopathy, and surgical management was recommended. A total resection of the encapsulated cystic mass in the anterior and superior mediastinum was performed, revealing a thymic cyst upon pathological analysis.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ahuja, J., Strange, C. D., Agrawal, R., Erasmus, L. T., & Truong, M. T. (2023). Approach to imaging of mediastinal masses. Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland), 13(20). https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics13203171

Carter, B. W., Benveniste, M. F., Madan, R., Godoy, M. C., de Groot, P. M., Truong, M. T., Rosado-de-Christenson, M. L., & Marom, E. M. (2017). ITMIG classification of mediastinal compartments and multidisciplinary approach to mediastinal masses. Radiographics: A Review Publication of the Radiological Society of North America, Inc, 37(2), 413–436. https://doi.org/10.1148/rg.2017160095

Almeida, P. T., & Heller, D. (2024, April 19). Anterior mediastinal mass. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing. Available from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546608/

Rodriguez, Cynthia, Arce Aranda, Carlos, Amarilla, Laura, Andreo, Tahiana, Araujo, Diego, Arzamendia, Laura, Azuaga, Paulo, Soskin, Ana, & Samaniego, Castor. (2013). Características clínicas y patológicas de los tumores de mediastino en un hospital universitario. Cirugía paraguaya, 37(2), 22-25. Retrieved November 09, 2024, from http://scielo.iics.una.py/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2307-04202013000200006&lng=en&tlng=es.

Keita, I. K., Nazario Dolz, A. M., Falcón Vilariño, G. C., Castillo Toledo, L., Rodríguez Fernández, Z., & Romero García, L. I. (2020). Consideraciones en torno a los tumores del mediastino. Revista Colombiana de Cirugía, 35(3), 472–482. https://doi.org/10.30944/20117582.460

Arce-Aranda, C., Ayala-Guzmán, J. D., Cuevas-Zapata, J. F., Duarte-González, A. L., Garay-Gómez, C. D., Gutiérrez-Codas, G. M., Lee, C., Adé-Torrent, M., Leiva, A., & Soskin-Reidman, A. (2018). Frequency, classification and pathology of mediastine tumors. CIRUGIA PARAGUAYA, 42(2), 17–22. https://doi.org/10.18004/sopaci.2018.agosto.17-22

Syred, K., & Weissferdt, A. (2020). Non-neoplastic mediastinal cysts. Advances in Anatomic Pathology, 27(5), 294–302. https://doi.org/10.1097/PAP.0000000000000261

Cooley-Rieders, K., & Van Haren, R. M. (2022). Mediastinal thymic cysts: a narrative review. Mediastinum (Hong Kong, China), 6, 33. https://doi.org/10.21037/med-22-25

Wang, X., Chen, K., Li, X., Li, Y., Yang, F., Li, J., Jiang, G., Liu, J., & Wang, J. (2017). Clinical features, diagnosis and thoracoscopic surgical treatment of thymic cysts. Journal of Thoracic Disease, 9(12), 5203–5211. https://doi.org/10.21037/jtd.2017.10.14

Queralt Martín, R., Ibáñez Belenguer, M., Martínez Hernández, A., Menor Durán, P. D., & Laguna Sastre, J. M. (2021). Quiste tímico: una entidad rara en el adulto. Cirugía Española (English Edition), 99(1), 71–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ciresp.2020.03.014

Almofada, H. S., Almedemgh, N. I., & Othman, E. O. (2022). Adult cervical thymic cysts: A narrative review. Ear, Nose, & Throat Journal, 1455613221111490. https://doi.org/10.1177/01455613221111490

Smith, B. D., Schild, M. H., Jiang, X. S., & Kahmke, R. R. (2020). A rare case of a cervical thymic cyst presenting in adulthood. Case Reports in Otolaryngology, 2020, 4059530. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/4059530

Narciso-Dircio, E., Valencia-Sánchez, L. D., & Vázquez-Minero, J. C. (2020). Quiste tímico inusual de mediastino posterior en un paciente con neurofibromatosis. Neumologia y cirugia de torax, 79(3), 171–175. https://doi.org/10.35366/96652

Bouma, W., Klinkenberg, T. J., Van De Wauwer, C., Timens, W., & Mariani, M. A. (2014). Removal of a giant intrathoracic cyst from the anterior mediastinum. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, 9(1), 152. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13019-014-0152-2

Downloads

Published

2024-11-20

How to Cite

Quintero Contreras, M. L., Solano Ducuara, M., Sánchez Pacheco, L. J., & Ortega Colimba, L. M. (2024). Retrosternal tumor in the superior mediastinum: incidental finding, case report. Basic Health Sciencies Journal, 2(4), 93–103. https://doi.org/10.24054/cbs.v2i4.3292

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 4 (2024)

Section

Clinical Cases

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Basic Health sciencies journal

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Most read articles by the same author(s)