Cardiac tamponade from a giant thymoma: case report

Abstract

Thymoma, the most common neoplasm of the anterior mediastinum especially in adults, accounts for 20-25% of all mediastinal tumors and 50% of anterior mediastinal masses. These tumors are routinely asymptomatic for prolonged periods of time. Pericardial tamponade is a very rare initial manifestation of a thymoma. This report presents a patient who had hemorrhagic pericardial tamponade that likely resulted from the largest symptomatic mixed type (type AB) thymoma described in the literature.

Two Invasive Thymomas Incidentally Found during Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

“…Mostly, they present with anterior mediastinal mass [1]. The overall incidence of thymoma is about 0.15 per 100000 [2]. The most common symptoms are chest pain, cough, and dyspnea due to pressure effect of mediastinal tumor [2, 3].…”

“…The overall incidence of thymoma is about 0.15 per 100000 [2]. The most common symptoms are chest pain, cough, and dyspnea due to pressure effect of mediastinal tumor [2, 3]. They may also present with symptoms related to intrathoracic spread or paraneoplastic disorders such as myasthenia gravis, red cell aplasia, and pemphigus [3].…”

Swimming Heart: A Pleural, Pulmonary and Pericardial Disseminated Thymoma

“…One third to one half of patients with a thymoma is asymptomatic, and 33% of patients present with local symptoms related to the involvement of surrounding structures. Although only one-third of patients with localized disease is symptomatic, most patients with disseminated disease have significant complaints, such as chest pain, chest discomfort, dyspnea, and superior vena cava syndrome [4]- [8]. Pericardial involvement by primary mediastinal thymomas often is a late stage finding [9].…”

“…Pericardial involvement by primary mediastinal thymomas often is a late stage finding [9]. Pericardial effusion may be present in approximately 20% of patients [4]. Thymomas may present with a paraneoplastic syndrome in half of the cases.…”

Resection of a giant thymoma and coronary artery bypass graft surgery: a case report

“…[2] In addition, this type of tumor, which is the most common neoplasm of the anterior mediastinum, especially in adults, accounts for 20-25% of all mediastinal tumors and 50% of anterior mediastinal masses. Thymomas are routinely asymptomatic for prolonged periods of time, [3] and although some authors have claimed that the prognosis for these tumors is worse when accompanied by the presence of MG, others have indicated that MG does not negatively affect the prognosis. [4,5] Herein, we present a case of a giant thymoma accompanied by coronary artery disease and undergoing thymectomy combined with coronary artery bypass surgery.…”