Case reportA chondroma of the anterior mediastinum
Introduction
Primary chondromas of the anterior mediastinum are rare. We present this case to highlight a benign chondroma as a differential diagnosis of an anterior mediastinal mass, and briefly discuss other possible differential diagnoses.
Section snippets
Case report
An 85-year-old woman was found to have a solid anterior mediastinal mass after a computed tomography (CT) pulmonary angiogram for a suspected pulmonary embolus. This solid anterior mediastinal mass was spherical (3.8 cm in diameter), appeared homogeneous in nature and was well demarcated from the surrounding tissue (Fig. 1a). Apart from these findings, her chest CT was unremarkable; in particular there was no accompanying mediastinal lymphadenopathy. A subsequent CT-guided tru-cut biopsy found
Discussion
Mediastinal masses are classified by their location (anterior, middle or posterior mediastinum), shape and size. On the lateral radiograph, the anterior mediastinum is defined as the region posterior to the sternum but anterior to the heart and great vessels.1 In general, anterior mediastinal masses are more likely to be of lymphoid or germ cell origin whereas masses in the posterior mediastinum are more likely to be of neural origin.2 The likelihood of malignancy is greatest with anterior
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