Massive True Thymic Hyperplasia

Abstract

A case of massive true thymic hyperplasia in a child of eleven months is described. This rare disorder must be included in the differential diagnosis of a mediastinal mass in children. Diagnosis and management are discussed and the relevant literature is reviewed.

Massive thymic hyperplasia in a 15‐month‐old boy: Case report and literature review

“…It is characterized by an increase in size and weight of the thymus gland with preservation of normal thymic architecture and immunohistochemical appearance, but without an apparent cause . Its etiology remains unclear . It must be differentiated from other anterior mediastinal masses (including thymic lymphoma, thymoma, and germ cell tumors) and from other causes of thymus enlargement (thymus lymphofollicular hyperplasia typical of myasthenia gravis or thymus enlargement after treatment for malignant tumors, stress, and steroid therapy) .…”

“…7 It must be differentiated from other anterior mediastinal masses (including thymic lymphoma, thymoma, and germ cell tumors) and from other causes of thymus enlargement (thymus lymphofollicular hyperplasia typical of myasthenia gravis 3,8,9 or thymus enlargement after treatment for malignant tumors, stress, and steroid therapy). 1,[5][6][7]10 Clinical and instrumental diagnosis is difficult. Chemical shift magnetic resonance imaging is reported to be helpful in differentiating thymic lymphoid hyperplasia from thymic neoplasm, but it is not always enough.…”

“…1,6 A total of 14 cases met the inclusion criteria, and they are all reported in Table 1. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]12,14,17,18,22,23 Ten out of fourteen (71.4%) were male and four out of fourteen (28.6%) female. The median age at onset of symptoms was 10.3 months old.…”

“…Its etiology remains unclear . It must be differentiated from other anterior mediastinal masses (including thymic lymphoma, thymoma, and germ cell tumors) and from other causes of thymus enlargement (thymus lymphofollicular hyperplasia typical of myasthenia gravis or thymus enlargement after treatment for malignant tumors, stress, and steroid therapy) . Clinical and instrumental diagnosis is difficult.…”

Timolipoma gigante assintomático na infância: relato de caso

“…9-12 A hiperplasia maciça verdadeira do timo é uma entidade rara que pode ser incluida no diagnóstico diferencial do timolipoma. 13 A patogênese está relacionada com alterações degenerativas dos corpúsculos de Hassal e com infiltração lipomatosa na glândula. 6 À histopatologia, apresenta-se como lóbulos de tecido lipomatoso maduro com ilhotas de células tímicas contendo células epiteliais, linfócitos e corpúsculos de Hassal.…”