CT chest scan and residual thymic tissue question

[CoyoteSpeaks0715]

Chest and Throat CT scan.

Mediastinum and Hila: Within normal limits. Residual thymic tissue noted anteriorly

What is residual thymic tissue, what causes it / how did it get there?  Could this be connected to why I haven't been able to breathe for 6 months and why my heart is visibly popping out of chest 24/7

[CoyoteSpeaks0715]

Thanks for the reply

[David Tinkelman, M.D.]

The thymus is a lymphatic organ that plays a vital role in the development and maturation of the immune system during childhood. The thymus is sensitive to any kind of bodily stress, including systemic infection, neoplasms, surgery, and chemotherapy.  It may atrophy, with such stress but then regrow to its original size. The thymus is disproportionately larger in infants but gradually becomes replaced by fat and involutes throughout maturation. Nevertheless, the thymus maintains its ability to grow back at any time and at any age.

Variations in size and shape of this organ may provide clues to the cause when interpreted by a radiologist knowledgeable about the thymus and the diseases that may alter its appearance.  Such experts may be able to state, with reasonable certainty that the image is that of residual thymic tissue and nothing more.    A seemingly abnormal appearance of the Thymus may be misinterpreted leading to unnecessary biopsy, surgery or radiation.  That is why it is of the utmost importance for you and anyone else to seek expert opinion before agreeing to any of these procedures.  
One such expert, who has published reports on the thymus in medical journals and might be a good resource for you and your doctors is Dr. Farbod Nasseri at  the Department of Radiology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030 (F.N.); and the Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Division of Diagnostic Imaging, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Tex.  Address correspondence to F.N. (e-mail: ***@**** ).

Good luck