Medical image of the week: mediastinal lipomasosis

Abstract

No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. A 61-year-old man presented to the pulmonary clinic for evaluation of a chronic cough of 6 months’ duration. Other medical problems included class three obesity, obstructive sleep apnea on CPAP therapy, and hypertension. Chest X-Ray (Figure 1) revealed a right mediastinal mass which then prompted a chest CT to be performed. The chest CT (Figure 2) demonstrated a homogenously enhancing, well circumscribed and fat-attenuating 8 x 5 cm mass in the right paratracheal region without invasion or compression into surrounding structures. Mediastinal lipomatosis was diagnosed. This is a benign soft tissue tumor made of mature adipocytes that can be seen with obesity, chronic corticosteroid use, and Cushing’s syndrome. They are thought to represent up to 2.3% of all primary mediastinal tumors (1). They are occasionally associated with compression of surrounding structures which can cause superior vena cava syndrome, dry cough, dysphagia, and occasionally arrhythmias (2). Management is typically conservative with …

Keywords

• mediastinum
• mass
• mediastinal lipomatosis
• cough
• chest x-ray
• CT scan
• obesity
• treatment
• Hounsfield units
• homogenous