thymic tissue and

Question

I have been having shortness of breath at times, pain in my throat when singing and chest discomfort to the right of my sternum.  I had a CT scan and the impression reads:

Contrast allergy precludes PE protocol and hence pulmonary is not completely excluded from the differential.  Follow-up as deemed clinically necessary.  Should your clinical suspicion be strong consideration for a nuclear medicine study.  No suspicious central or mediastinal or hilar masses.

Scattered small pulmonary nodules almost assuredly post inflammatory but warrants a follow up non contrast CT scan in six months to ensure suspected stability.  The study shows normal mediastinal and hilar anatomy with small less then 1 cm nodes seen about the AP windo pretracheal space and subcarinal region.  Nor calcifications , pericardial or pleural thickening.  Residual thymic tissue noted 1 cm nodes seen about the axillary regions bilaterally but no adenopathy along internal mammary chain. ( 5 nodes total scattered pleural based nodules bilaterally almost assuredly postinflammatory but warrants follow up non - contrast CTscan in 3-6 months to ensure no progression.
What is Thymic Tissue noted mean?  Is it life threatening?  Would these findings cause the symptoms that I am having.  In addition to this information I also have Hashimoto Thyroid Disease.  No one in my family has this, I acquired it after childbirth when it took 8 months for a Dr. to figure out what was wrong with me.  My levels were 168 when they figured it out.  I also have some mild arthritis in my right hip and knuckles.  Please let me know what type of follow up or tests you think the above study warrants for me to have.  Thank you!

This discussion is related to Residual Thymic Tissue.

marymills · Answer

What was the result of your second opinion doctor? I just got a CT scan of the chest without contrast and the report indicates "There is a 4.0x4.0x1.5cm triangular-shaped soft tissue structure in the anterior mediastinum with an appearance suggestive of thymus tissue. Focal neoplasm is considered unlikely. There is no mediastinal, hilar or auxillary lymphadenopathy. Uncommonly seen at patient's age." I am a 45 year old female.

kynypy · Answer

I too had a CT scan come back with residual thymus, " medialstanial mass about 4.5x3.5x1.2 cm"  I have been searching the internet and there is not much information out there.  My doctor told me not to worry about it, but after doing a little research I realized that most doctors never see a thymoma (cancer of the thymus) in their career. So, it very commonly misdiagnosed.  When they find a mass about 10 cm they do chemo and then try to remove it.  Hopefully when they find it in those people it has not already spread to their heart and lungs (which seems to be the first place it spreads to).  I spoke with a friend of mine that is a young Dr. on the east coast and he had to do some research and speak with some collagues before he gave me advise.  He had only  really read about thymomas once in a medical text. His opinion was if it truly is residual thymus, it cannot do any good and can actually put you at higher risk for thymomas and other dieases, so go ahead and remove it. I have been on several discussion boards and everyone has said the same thing...."get the second opinion from someone who actually has experience working with it."  The way that I see it is like this: it is A) nothing to worry about, but what the heck, it is my health and body so I will get the second opinion to be sure or B) it is something to worry about and my doctor (who never even looked at the scan, and he just read the radiology report and he never asked to see the previous scan that was done a year before to compare with) was wrong, and I have put my life at risk by listening to him when he said "oh it is nothing, dont worry about it."  
Either way I am not leaving my health in the hands of a local yocal dr. and radiologist, I am going for a second opinion with a dr. in Houston who sees like 50 of these cases a year.