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Ectopic cervical thymoma located in the carotid triangle

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Abstract

Ectopic cervical thymoma is an extremely rare tumor thought to arise from ectopic thymic tissue caused by the aberrant migration of the embryonic thymus. We present the case of a 44-year-old woman with an ectopic cervical thymoma located in the carotid triangle. A computed tomography (CT) scan detected a mass in her right carotid triangle. On an unenhanced scan, the tumor showed homogeneous isodensity compared with muscles, and neither fat nor calcification was detected. A contrast-enhanced CT image obtained during the arterial phase showed intratumoral septa, while an image obtained during the parenchymal phase showed cystic changes within the mass. The patient underwent a surgical resection. A histological study enabled a diagnosis of type AB thymoma in which foci with the features of type A thymoma are admixed with foci rich in lymphocytes. This subtype is a benign tumor with a good prognosis. Ectopic cervical thymoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of solid masses located in the carotid triangle when the CT findings are typical of a thymoma.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Kawasaki Municipal Hospital, 12-1 Shinkawadori, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan

    Jitsuro Tsukada, Ichiro Hasegawa, Hiroaki Sato & Yoshiaki Narimatsu

  2. Department of Surgery, Kawasaki Municipal Hospital, Kawasaki, Japan

    Toshihiro Kakefuda

  3. Department of Pathology, Kawasaki Municipal Hospital, Kawasaki, Japan

    Hitoshi Sugiura

Authors
  1. Jitsuro Tsukada
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  2. Ichiro Hasegawa
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  3. Hiroaki Sato
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  4. Toshihiro Kakefuda
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  5. Hitoshi Sugiura
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  6. Yoshiaki Narimatsu
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Correspondence to Jitsuro Tsukada.

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Tsukada, J., Hasegawa, I., Sato, H. et al. Ectopic cervical thymoma located in the carotid triangle. Jpn J Radiol 31, 138–142 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-012-0152-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-012-0152-x

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