Anterior mediastinal masses can be caused by neoplastic and non-neoplastic pathology. These masses arise in the anterior mediastinum, that portion of the mediastinum anterior to the pericardium and below the level of the clavicles.
Epidemiology
The prevalence of anterior mediastinal masses on CT is estimated at 0.4-0.9% 4.
Differential diagnosis
The differential diagnosis for an anterior mediastinal mass includes 1-3:
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thymoma: most common primary neoplasm of the anterosuperior mediastinum
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thyroid and parathyroid masses
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non-seminomatous germ cell tumours (NSGCT)
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mature: 75% of mediastinal germ cell tumours
immature
teratocarcinoma (malignant teratoma)
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vascular masses
subclavian artery aneurysm
A handy mnemonic to remember the major categories is the 5 Ts.
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