Mediastinal hibernoma: a case report
- 1Department of Biochemistry and Biophysic “F. Cedrangolo”, Section of Pathology, Second University of Naples, Naples 80128, Italy
- 2Department of Thoracic Surgery, Second University of Naples
- 3Third Division of Infective Diseases, D. Cotugno Hospital, Naples 80100, Italy
- 4Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, University of Vienna, Vienna 00100, Austria
- 5Department of Cardiological, Respiratory and Thoracic Medical Sciences, Second University of Naples
- Correspondence to: Dr A Baldi Department of Biochemistry and Biophysic “F. Cedrangolo”, Section of Pathology, Second University of Naples, Via G. Orsi 25, 80128 Naples, Italy; alfonsobalditiscali.it
- Accepted 8 April 2004
Abstract
Hibernomas are rare benign tumours that arise most often in adults from the remnants of fetal brown adipose tissue. They usually affect muscle and subcutaneous tissue and are asymptomatic and slow growing. The distribution of this tumour follows the sites of persistence of brown fat. Out of more then 100 cases described in the word literature only three hybernomas were mediastinal. A recent clinicopathological study of 170 cases from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology confirmed the exceptionality of the intrathoracic location. This report describes a very rare case of mediastinal hibernoma in a young man.
