Pediatric Thymoma

  • Etiology: Neoplasm arising from thymic epithelial tissue
  • Imaging CXR: More mass-like and resembles normal lobes of thymus less
  • DDX: Prominent thymus
    — Thymus is soft and is displaced by surrounding structures
    — Thymoma is hard and displaces surrounding structures
  • Complications:
  • Treatment: Surgical
  • Clinical: Associated with myasthenia gravis

Radiology Cases of Thymoma

CXR and CT of thymoma
CXR PA and lateral (above) shows a mass centered in the anterior mediastinum with a right pleural effusion. Axial images from a CT with contrast of the chest shows a large solid anterior mediastinal mass that has a few areas of calcification (lower left) and fat (lower right) within it.