Weekly Chest CasesArchive of Old Cases

Case No : 175 Date 2001-03-03

  • Courtesy of Hyun Ju Lee, M.D., Jin Mo Goo, M.D., Jung-Gi Im, M.D. / Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
  • Age/Sex 50 / F
  • Chief ComplaintAn incidentally found mass on chest radiography.
  • Figure 1
  • Figure 2

Diagnosis With Brief Discussion

Diagnosis
Dermoid Cyst (Mature cystic teratoma)
Radiologic Findings
Chest radiograph shows a well-defined mass in the right anterior mediastinum.
Contrast-enhanced CT scan shows a well-demarcated cystic mass in the anterior mediastinum.
The wall of the mass is thick and well enhanced.

Pathology:
Specimen photographs after mass excision show a well-demarcated cyst with yellow internal contents.
Brief Review
The majority of mediastinal teratomas are cystic and benign; the relatively uncommon solid forms are usually malignant. Pathologically, tumors can be divided into three types including mature teratomas, immature teratomas, and teratomas with malignant transformation.

Mature cystic teratomas are found at all ages, but particularly in adolescents and young adults, with females slightly outnumbering males. They usually consist predominantly of ectodermal elements-hence the expression "dermoid cyst"-such as skin, sebaceous material, hair, and calcification along with smooth muscle and respiratory epithelium. In most series half the cases are asymptomatic and diagnosed incidentally on chest radiography or CT. Symptoms are caused by local compression, rupture, or infection. The most common symptoms are chest pain, a cough that is usually productive, dyspnea, and fever.

Mature cystic teratomas usually produce a well-defined, rounded or lobulated mass in anterior mediastinum in front of the roots of the aorta and main pulmonary artery, but a few are found in the posterior mediastinum or lung. Benign cysts grow slowly, but rapid increase in size may occur because of hemorrhage. Alternatively, they may rupture into the bronchial tree in which case air may enter the cyst and be visible on imaging examinations. Rarely the cyst may rupture into the pericardium or pleura, in which case a fat-fluid level may be visible in the pleural space. Most teratomas project mainly to one side of the midline, sometimes markedly so. Calcification, ossification, or even teeth may be visible on a chest radiograph, and occasionally, sufficient fat is present to be detectable radiographically.

The findings at CT are variable. Water density in the cystic component is common, and fat density is seen in one fourth to one half of the patients. A fat-fluid level may be seen, or fat and fluid may be more immediately mixed. A definite cyst wall, which may show curvilinear calcification, is often visible. The combination of a large anterior mediastinal mass, which is wholly or predominantly composed of a cyst, with a well-defined wall is highly suggestive of a cystic teratoma. With calcification in the wall of the cyst or small spherical or irregular calcifications within the mass, cystic teratoma is even more likely. Unequivocal fat within the mass, particularly a fat-fluid level, makes this diagnosis certain.
References
1. Amstrong P. Mediastinal and Hilar Disorders. In: Amstrong P, Wilson AG, Dee P, Hansell DM eds. Imaging of diseases of the chest. 2nd ed. Mosby 1995:732-734.
2. Fraser RS, Pare JAP, Fraser RG, Pare PD. Diseases of the mediastinum. In: Fraser RS, Pare JAP, Fraser RG, Pare PD, eds. Synopsis of diseases of the chest. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Saunders 1994:912-913.
Keywords
Mediastinum, Benign tumor,

No. of Applicants : 28

▶ Correct Answer : 19/28,  67.9%
  • - 怨
  • - 嫄닿뎅
  • - 寃쎈
  • - 怨
  • - 源€吏€
  • -
  • - 源€
  • - 理œ
  • - 蹂€
  • - 11th Airforce Hospital Byung-June Jo
  • - CHU Nancy-Brabois France Denis Regent
  • - Dong-A University Hospital Ki-Nam Lee
  • - KyungHee Medical Center Ko, Kyunglan
  • - Matsuyama Red Cross Hospital, Matsuyama, Japan Shunya Sunami
  • - Ospedale di Fabriano, Italy Giancarlo Passarini
  • - Palermo, Italy Mario Finazzo
  • - Santa Maria delle Grazie Hospital-Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy Bianca Cusati
  • - Seoul National University Hospital Tae Jung Kim
  • - Stedelijk OLV Ziekenhuis Mechelen, Belgium Ivan Pila
▶ Semi-Correct Answer : 6/28,  21.4%
  • - 媛• 理œ
  • - 怨
  • - 怨
  • -
  • - 諛•
  • -
  • Top
  • Back

Each Case of This Site Supplied by the Members of KSTR.
Copyright of the Images is in the KSTR and Original Supplier.
Current Editor : Sang Young Oh, M.D., Ph.D Email : sangyoung.oh@gmail.com

This website is optimized for IE 10 and above.