Abstract
Recent experience with a case of intrathoracic goiter of complete type is a relatively rate mediastinal is presented here. A 35-year-old woman was referred to the hospital because of an abnormal shadow on a chest X-ray film that was pointed out at medical checkup.
Chest X-ray showed an oval shadow in the left hilum. CT scan and tomogram revealed a 7.5×5.5cm well-demarcated and internally heterogeneous tumor adjacent to the aortic arch and protruding into the left lung field. Transcutaneous needle aspiration biopsy disclosed atypical follicle-like cells. Thyroidal scintigraphy revealed an uneven accumulation continuing from the left thyroidal lobe.
The extirpation of the tumor was performed on May 20 1991. The tumor was partially adjacent to the normal thyroidal tissue which was mainly nourished by the artery branching from the beginning of the truncus brachiocephalicus, leading to a diagnosis of intrathoracic goiter (complete type). Histologically the tumor was composed of small and large follicles without malignant region. A total of 53 cases of intrathoracic goiter (complete type) has been reported in Japan (including this case), and only 4 cases of them had an abnormal shadow in the right or left hilum on chest X-ray examination for each 2 case.
