Abstract

SANTOS-MAR, Luis-Efrén et al. Incidental finding of a right paracardiac thymoma in a woman with a myocardial infarction. Rev. Inst. Nal. Enf. Resp. Mex. [online]. 2005, vol.18, n.1, pp.48-54. ISSN 0187-7585.

Thymomas are primary tumors that arise from the epithelial cells of the thymus. Frequently, they are found in the anterior mediastinum, associated to a parathymic syndrome. Although they may stay asymptomatic, they may also give rise to unspecific clinical manifestations, which include chest pain, dyspnea, and cough, symptoms that generally disappear with surgical resection of the thy moma. In these cases, incidental diagnosis is usually established by using various image methods that may include chest X-ray, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance, and it is confirmed by tumor biopsy. Survival depends on Masaoka's clinical stage, the size of the tumor, the type of resection performed and the histológical subtype. Complete surgical resection is the main objective. The use of pre and/or postoperatory chemo and/or radiotherapy is still controversial. We present the case of a woman who suffered from a myocardial infarction. She was later incidentally diagnosed with a right paracardiac tumor that came out to be a thymoma

Keywords : Tumors of heart; ischemic heart disease.