title: Intrapericardial primary thymic carcinoma in a 73-year-old man.
abstract: Thymic carcinoma is a rare, highly aggressive type of tumor that typically occurs in the anterior mediastinum. We describe the case of a 73-year-old man who presented with weakness, cough, dyspnea, anorexia, and weight loss. An echocardiogram showed an intrapericardial mass that occupied the space around the lateral walls of the left ventricle and distally compressed the right ventricle. Magnetic resonance imaging and a biopsy confirmed the presence of intrapericardial primary thymic carcinoma. The patient underwent surgical excision of the tumor and died of right ventricular rupture during the procedure. This case highlights the importance of considering thymic carcinoma whenever an otherwise unexplained intrapericardial mass is encountered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Ana Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Calderon
authors.forename: Juan Andres
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Merchan
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rozo
authors.forename: Cesar Ivan
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Guerrero
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Treistman
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Sulak
authors.forename: Benjamin Y C
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Cheong
authors.forename: German
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mesa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary*; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010496:Pericardium / Q000473:pathology; D013945:Thymoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D014463:Ultrasonography