A case of bronchogenic cyst in the thymus: A case report

Abstract

Bronchogenic cysts are commonly located in the middle mediastinum. We report the rare case of a bronchogenic cyst in the thymus. A 65-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for the diagnosis and treatment of a mass in the anterior mediastinum detected by thoracic CT. Enhanced CT and MRI showed a 2-cm-diameter cystic mass with viscous fluid in the thymus. We preoperatively diagnosed the mass as a bronchogenic cyst rather than a thymic cyst. We performed video-assisted thymectomy. Histologically, there was a layer of ciliated epithelium on the inner side of the cyst, and we diagnosed the tumor as a bronchogenic cyst in the thymus. Bronchogenic cysts should be included in the differential diagnosis of any cystic mass in the anterior mediastinum.