Archived case 203 · May 17-May 24, 2016
25 year old female, presented to Emergency Department with substernal chest tightness.
Please describe the imaging findings. What is your favored differential diagnosis?
There is an ovoid right paravertebral mass, which shows incomplete borders due to extrapulmonary location. It does not silhouette the right paratracheal stripe. On the lateral view, it has a posterior mediastinal location. There is no discrete enlargement of neuroforamina. There is no separation or erosion of ribs. Answer Diagnosis: Posterior Mediastinal mass
Posterior Mediastinal mass
Answer
Diagnosis: Posterior Mediastinal mass
The differential diagnosis for an incidental posterior mediastinal mass in this patient includes but not limited to:
An enlarged azygus vein
Neurogenic tumors
Lymphoma
Foregut duplication cyst
Reference:
A Diagnostic Approach to Mediastinal Abnormalities
Camilla R. Whitten , Sameer Khan , Graham J. Munneke , Sisa Grubnic
RadioGraphics , May 2007, Vol. 27: 657–671(Click for a larger image.)
Original case written by its authors at Virginia Commonwealth University and published at this address as part of a weekly teaching collection. Reproduced here as an archive.