No abstract

Ancient schwannoma is a distinctive type of schwannoma occurring mostly in the retroperitoneum. The presentation in the posterior mediastinum is rare. The term ‘ancient’ represents a group of neurogenic tumours showing degenerative changes with marked nuclear atypia. A 26-year-old man was incidentally detected to have an upper mediastinal mass lesion in the chest X-ray. MRI chest revealed a mixed signal intensity lesion in the left side upper para spinal region of the posterior mediastinum. The patient underwent left posterior thoracotomy and excision of the mass was done. Postoperative period was uneventful. The histopathological feature was typical of Ancient schwannoma. The patient is on regular follow-up and disease free until.

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Ascending aortic aneurysm is uncommon in the paediatric population, and because of the rarity the aetiology, natural progression, and prognosis of the disease remain unknown. A 7-year-old boy with ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (60×67 mm) underwent graft anastomosis from the sinotubular junction to the undersurface of the arch. Analytical determinations including karyotyping and genetic mapping were all normal. To our knowledge, idiopathic aneurysm of the ascending aorta in children is very rare.

Tracheobronchial rests are a rare congenital anomaly where ectopic respiratory tract elements may be found in an abnormal site, such as within the esophageal wall. We present a case of a late presentation of an esophageal intramural tracheobronchial rest with complaints of pain in the left chest wall, vomiting, and loss of appetite for one month. The chest X-ray and mammogram were both normal, but an endoscopy could not be performed due to luminal narrowing. A CT scan shows a well-defined, round, non-enhancing hypodense lesion measuring 2.6 x 2.7 cm in the middle one-third of the esophagus. Upon resection, histopathological examination revealed fragments of tissue lined by pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium with respiratory mucinous glands admixed with pools of mucin and underlying strands of skeletal muscle. The subepithelium contains esophageal submucosal glands, which confirm the esophageal origin of the choristoma. The usual presentation is congenital esophageal stenosis at birth with over half of these cases being attributed to tracheobronchial rests. Presentation beyond adolescence is even rarer with a relatively benign course and favorable prognosis. Clinical, radiological, and pathological correlation as well as a high index of suspicion are important to avoid misdiagnosis and to institute optimal treatment.