Case Presentation
An 18-year-old male, who had a previous hospitalization at the age of 5 due to meningitis and no other medical history, was admitted to the hospital after being involved in a car accident. The patient had no history of positive family background or drug use. The patient’s vital signs remained stable, and there were no complaints of dyspnea. Oxygen saturation was 98%. The patient mentioned chest pain that occurred after the trauma.
The physical examination revealed limited chest movement, decreased tactile vocal fremitus on the right side, and dullness upon percussion over the right area. A decrease in breath sounds on the right side was detected during chest auscultation. A chest CT scan was performed on the patient. The CT scout view findings demonstrated the presence of an opacity in the right lower hemithorax, resulting in a shifting of the heart towards the left side (Figure 1)
The CT scan revealed the presence of a predominantly fat-containing mass with soft tissue components, measuring approximately 13x23x15 cm. This mass appeared to originate from the anterior mediastinum and extended into the right hemithorax, causing a shift of the heart and mediastinum to the left. The lesion did not reach below the diaphragm. The lower lobe of right lung exhibited almost complete collapse. (Figure 2)
The patient was planned for surgery. Through a right thoracotomy, the mass was entirely excised. (Figure 3)
The histopathological examination revealed the presence of an encapsulated lesion comprising mature adipose tissue that contained islands of non-neoplastic thymic epithelial cells (Figure 4). The final diagnosis was thymolipoma.
The patient experienced no postoperative complications and was discharged in excellent condition on the 11th day following the surgery.