ABSTRACT
A 54-year-old man presented with back pain. His medical history included hypertension and gout. There was no history of heart disease or arrhythmia. The electrocardiogram showed normal sinus rhythm. Chest computed tomography demonstrated a large calcified tumor (65 mm) in the left atrium (LA). The echocardiogram showed a round hyperechoic mass in the enlarged LA (56 mm) attached to the atrial septum without mitral valve disease. Urgent surgery for excision of the LA mass with the atrial septum and reconstruction by autologous pericardial patch was performed. There was no pathological change in the mitral valve. Due to surgical injury to the conduction system, implantation of a permanent pacemaker was required postoperatively. Histopathological examination revealed calcification, fibrosis, and thrombus formation. LA thrombus without any history of mitral valve disease or atrial fibrillation is rare. Although the mechanism of the present case was unclear, extensive calcified LA myxoma or undiagnosed patent foramen ovale might have been associated with the disease.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Pulmonary metastases of thymomas are relatively rare. We report on two patients who underwent surgery for resection of pulmonary metastases. METHODS AND RESULTS: One patient was a 74-year-old man. A chest CT scan showed a mediastinal mass and a hilar nodule in the left lung. The patient underwent surgical resection of both of these lesions. The histological diagnosis was type A thymoma with intrapulmonary metastasis, classified as stage IVb. He did not receive any adjuvant therapy following the operation because the resection was complete. There has been no evidence of recurrence in four years.The other patient was a 68-year-old man with myasthenia gravis. At the age of 61 years, he underwent extended thymectomy with combined resection of the surrounding involved structures. The histological diagnosis was type B3 thymoma, stage III. Adjuvant radiation (40 Gy) was administered postoperatively; however, a pulmonary nodule occurred seven years following the initial operation (patient age, 68 years). He subsequently underwent right lower lobectomy and a diagnosis of intrapulmonary metastasis of thymoma was made. There has been no evidence of recurrence in two years. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term follow-up is important to detect recurrence in any cases of thymoma. Lung metastases should be operated upon if they appear to be completely resectable and this can achieve long-term survival.
