Mediastinal cavernous hemangioma : report of a case

Abstract

Hemangioma is one of the most uncommon tumors in the mediastinum. We experienced a 12-year-old girl who had a mediastinal mass shadow on screening chest X-ray examination. Physical examination revealed no abnormal findings. Routine blood examinations were all within normal limits. Plain chest X-ray film showed a mass shadow in the left upper mediastinum. Plain chest CT scans showed that homogeneous-density tumor developed from the left thymus toward the anterior portion of aortic arch. Left internal thoracic arteriograms showed pooling and cotton wool like staining with contrast medium in the tumor. The tumor was completely resected through a median sternotomy on Dec. 13, 1984. Histological examination showed that the tumor was a benign cavernous hemangioma extending to surrounding fatty tissue, which suggested the possibility of future recurrence. Thirteen years follow up at the outpatient clinic, however, has shown no evidence of recurrence so far.