A Case of Ectopic Cystic Thymoma.

Lee, Jae Hyung; Kim, Il Ok; Lee, Hee Kyung; Min, Kyueng Whan; Kim, Sang Heon; Kim, Tae Hyung; Sohn, Jang Won; Yoon, Ho Joo; Shin, Dong Ho; Park, Chan Kum; Kang, Jung Ho; Park, Sung Soo

doi:2007.62.4.331

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 62(4); 2007 > Article

Case Report

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2007;62(4):331-335.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2007.62.4.331 Published online April 1, 2007.

A Case of Ectopic Cystic Thymoma.

Jae Hyung Lee, Il Ok Kim, Hee Kyung Lee, Kyueng Whan Min, Sang Heon Kim, Tae Hyung Kim, Jang Won Sohn, Ho Joo Yoon, Dong Ho Shin, Chan Kum Park, Jung Ho Kang, Sung Soo Park

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Eulji General Hospital, Eulji University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
²Department of Internal Medicine, ollege of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea. parkss@hanyang.ac.kr
³Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.
⁴Department of Thoracic Surgery, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

A thymoma commonly occurs in the superior mediastinum or the upper part of the anterior mediastinum but can be located in other places in rare cases. Cystic degeneration in a thymoma is a relatively common but focal event. In rare cases, the process proceeds to the extent that most if not all of the lesion becomes cystic. We report a case of a patient with a paracardial cystic thymoma in the lower aspect of the anterior mediastinum. A 49-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of a mass discovered incidentally on a chest X-ray. She showed no symptoms or signs. Contrast-enhanced chest CT scan revealed a 5x5cm sized, well-marginated, right paracardial cystic mass with a curvilinear and oval enhancing solid portion. A Surgical resection was performed. The mass was discontinuous with normal thymic tissue. Microscopy revealed a type B1 thymoma with prominent foci of medullary differentiation according to the WHO classification. There was no capsular or local invasion. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged in good health.

Key Words: Ectopic, Cystic, Thymoma