Thymolipoma of Anterior Mediastinum

Abstract

Thymolipoma is a very rare benign anterior mediastinal tumour. Most patients are asymptomatic but a few may present with clinical symptoms attributable to its huge size or less frequently, with myasthenia gravis. We report a case of huge thymolipoma occupying almost two thirds of the thorax in a 25-year-old female, which caused collapse of the lower lobe of the left lung simulating cardiomegaly on a chest skiagram. The tumor was successfully removed en bloc through a median sternotomy combined with an extended left anterolateral thoracotomy. There was no clinical or radiological evidence of residual tumor at the 1-year follow-up.