title: Mediastinal tumors presenting as spontaneous hemothorax, simulating aortic dissection.
abstract: The usual causes of hemomediastinum and hemothorax include chest trauma, rupture of an aortic aneurysm or aortic dissection. We report two patients who presented with a clinical picture of aortic dissection. In both patients, the chest radiograph revealed anterior mediastinal masses. Aortic dissection could not be excluded on the basis of the chest radiograph, and additional investigation by thoracic aortography was performed. The tumors had undergone spontaneous bleeding into the mediastinum and the pleural space, presumably causing the patients pain. The interesting and unusual causes of spontaneous hemomediastinum and hemothorax are reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Maryland, Baltimore 21201.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Templeton
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Vainright
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Diaconis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006491:Hemothorax / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011859:Radiography; D013945:Thymoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging