Presentation
Workup for cough. Incidental finding.
Patient Data
In the anterior mediastinum, a 58 ×3 3 mm thin-walled cystic lesion without a frank soft tissue attenuation component or calcification is noted. Surrounding fat is intact.
A few small calcified subpleural nodules are seen bilaterally.
The right subclavian artery is aberrant.
A sliding hiatal hernia is seen.
Anterior wedge fracture is seen in the L1 vertebra body.
Case Discussion
The differential diagnosis list regarding the location of the anterior mediastinal cystic lesion and radiological findings is small, and the hypothesis of a thymic cyst is strongly considered.
Although the thymic cyst is a benign lesion, it can degenerate into a carcinoma. So, some publications recommend that if a thymic cyst is found on unenhanced CT, follow-up imaging with contrast-enhanced CT is recommended at around 3-6 months 1.
Other differential diagnoses could include cystic thymoma, cystic teratoma, lymphangioma, cystic degeneration of a seminoma, and pericardial cyst.
Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.