title: Mediastinal talcoma masquerading as thymoma.
abstract: We report a young woman with a large, calcified anterior mediastinal mass discovered 18 months following a left talc pleurodesis. The lesion was evaluated and treated as the thymoma or teratoma that it appeared to be, with excision by a transcervical approach. Pathologic examination revealed a giant talc granuloma. Awareness of such a possibility following talc pleurodesis may allow surgeons to avoid unnecessary mediastinal exploration, and its occurrence suggests that talc administration simultaneous with mechanical pleurodesis should be avoided.
authors.affiliation: Section of General Thoracic Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Zahoor
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Joseph B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Shrager
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D015745:Granuloma, Foreign-Body / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008482:Mediastinum / Q000473:pathology*; D018700:Pleurodesis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013627:Talc / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013945:Thymoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D013627:Talc