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This Article Extract Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sykes, A. Articles by Copley, S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Sykes, A. Articles by Copley, S. Topic Collections Thorax Images in Thorax

Multiple thoracic osteophytes presenting as mediastinal mass

¹ Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
² Department of Radiology, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr A Sykes
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, White City, London W120HS, UK; annysykes{at}doctors.org.uk

A 59-year-old builder presented to the accident and emergency department with a 4-week history of intermittent central chest pain. He was a lifelong non-smoker, had no asbestos or tuberculosis exposures, and had no cardiac risk factors. The patient’s pain settled with simple analgesia. Chest x ray showed a widening of the right paratracheal stripe consistent with right paratracheal lymphadenopathy (fig 1). Reassuringly, the computed tomography scan revealed prominent thoracic vertebral osteophytes (figs 2 and 3).

View larger version (130K): [in this window] [in a new window] [PowerPoint for Teaching]   Figure 1  Chest x ray showing widening of the right paratracheal stripe consistent with right paratracheal lymphadenopathy.

View larger version (82K): [in this window] [in a new window] [PowerPoint for Teaching]   Figure 2  Computed tomography scan showing prominent thoracic vertebral osteophytes.

View larger version (91K): [in this window] [in a new window] [PowerPoint for Teaching]   Figure 3  A case of osteophytes resembling paratracheal lymphadenopathy.

This case demonstrates that multiple thoracic osteophytes can resemble an anterior mediastinal mass on chest x ray and should be part of the differential diagnosis. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first reported case of osteophytes resembling paratracheal lymphadenopathy.

References

1. Aronowitz P, Cobarrubias F. Anterior cervical osteophytes causing airway compromise. N Engl J Med 2003;349:2540.[Free Full Text]
2. Leon J, Calamia K, Leventhal JP. Chronic obstructive pneumonia caused by a vertebral body osteophyte. Mayo Clin Proc 2000;75:185–8.[Medline]

This Article Extract Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sykes, A. Articles by Copley, S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Sykes, A. Articles by Copley, S. Topic Collections Thorax Images in Thorax