title: Intrathoracic ganglioneuroma in an elderly patient over 70 years of age.
abstract: We herein present an exceedingly rare case of intrathoracic ganglioneuroma that was surgically resected in an elderly patient over 70 years of age. A 74-year-old woman was asymptomatic, but a computed tomography (CT) scan of the thorax indicated the presence of a posterior mediastinal mass paravertebrally. A thoracotomy was thus performed under a strongly suggested diagnosis of a neurogenic tumor because of the appearance and position of the mass on the chest CT and magnetic resonance imaging findings, and measuring 6.9 x 5.8 x 1.6 cm. Not only tumors originating from the nerve sheath, but also neurogenic tumors occurring in young patients such as ganglioneuroma, should be included in the different diagnosis of posterior mediastinal tumor occurring in elderly patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Nippon Steel Yawata Memorial Hospital, 1-1-1 Harunomachi, Yahatahigashi-ku, Kitakyushu 805 8508, Japan. maruyama.r@ns.yawata-mhp.or.jp
authors.forename: Riichiroh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Shin-ichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maehara
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saeki
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kinjo
authors.forename: Hidefumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Higashi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005729:Ganglioneuroma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013908:Thoracotomy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome