Accessory thymus in posterior mediastinum

Abstract

Presence of thymus in the normal position as well as in the posterior mediastinum is an unusual phenomenon. We report here a case of posterior mediastinal mass in a 20-month old male child who presented with dysphagia and dry cough. Investigations revealed it to be a solid posterior mediastinal mass, suspected to be either lymphoma or a neuroblastoma. Excision of the mass followed by histopathologic examination revealed the mass to be a normal thymus. This case indicates that a benign mass, an accessory thymus, though rare, can be located in the posterior mediastinum and cause symptoms similar to solid mediastinal tumors.

Keywords

• Accessory thymus
• posterior mediastinum