Abstract
A 31-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of symptom of hemoptysis. She had been pointed out a tumor shadow in the anterior mediastimum by a nearby practitioner at the age of 15, but the shadow disappeared after massive hemoptysis. On this admission, chest roentgenogram and CT showed a left anterior mediastinal mass. Bronchial and internal thoracic arteriogram showed hypervascularity of the tumor. From these findings, it was inferred that hemoptysis might be caused by a perforation of the tumor into the lung, and operation was carried out. In the resected left lung S3, chronic inflammatory response and hemorrhagic lesion were noted. Thoracotomy revealed the mediastinal tumor with adhesion to left lung, thymus and pericardium. They were resected partically with the tumor. Pathological study revealed that the mediastinal tumor was a benign mature cystic teratoma showing skin, skin appendages, glandular structure, pancreas, respiratory epithelium, muscular tissues, and bones with bone marrow. Mediastinal tumors are commonly found at medical checkup or by opressed condition, and rarely presented with hemoptysis. It may be important to entertain a possible existence of mediastinal tumor causing hemoptysis due to a rupture into the lung, which results from chronic inflammatory fibrous adhesion.
