Presentation
Car accident.
Patient Data
Normal CT appearance of the thymus and superior pericardial recess in a 17 year old trauma patient without any injury.
Case Discussion
A nice example of normal thymus and normal superior pericardial recess fluid in an adolescent trauma patient without any injury.
In children and young adults it is important to be aware of the normal presence and appearance of the thymus in the anterior mediastinum superiorly. Likewise, it is important in all age groups to be aware of the normal distribution of fluid in the superior pericardial recesses around the great vessels.
In the setting of trauma the mediastinal fat is a key check area for hemorrhage which may draw your attention to an aortic injury and therefore being able to differentiate hemorrhage from thymus and pericardial fluid is important.