title: Ethanol sclerosis: one of the best treatments for thymic cyst in very elderly patients?
abstract: An 83-year-old female patient with a giant thymic cyst that was successfully treated by percutaneous aspiration and ethanol injection. The patient had complained of coughing and chest discomfort for several years. A chest X-ray film revealed the shadow of a large abnormal mass in the anterior mediastinum. We diagnosed it as a thymic cyst. The patient refused surgery because of her age. We chose a less invasive therapy, namely, ethanol sclerosis of the cyst. The cyst was successfully treated without any complications, and no recurrence was found at the one-year follow-up. This therapy may be one of the best treatments for thymic cysts, especially in very elderly patients.
authors.affiliation: Fourth Department of Internal Medicine, Shimane Medical University.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshitomi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanabe
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishibashi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Murakami
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008476:Mediastinal Cyst / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D012597:Sclerosing Solutions / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015911:Sclerotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012997:Solvents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013396:Suction / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D012597:Sclerosing Solutions; D012997:Solvents; D000431:Ethanol