Aberrant thymus: a misleading mediastinal mass.
We report two cases in which aberrant thymic tissue caused a misleading superior mediastinal mass. The diagnosis can be made by awareness of it and by use of appropriate investigations. Should surgery be performed we recommend frozen section biopsy if ectopic thymus is suspected, and if confirmed, the mass should not be excised unless it is causing serious mechanical problems.
D002828:Choristoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013950:Thymus Gland; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography