title: Spinal lipoma presenting as a mediastinal mass: diagnosis by CT.
abstract: Spinal lipomas account for less than 1% of all spinal tumors. Prior to the advent of computed tomography, the preoperative diagnosis could only be suggested on the basis of nonspecific clinical and radiographic findings. We report a case of an unusual spinal lipoma that presented as a mediastinal mass. The low attenuation values of the tumor allowed a preoperative diagnosis. Computed tomography with metrizamide should serve as the first diagnostic procedure for evaluation of spinal lipomas.
mesh_terms: D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D008067:Lipoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013115:Spinal Canal; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed