Enhancing mediastinal mass at MR: Castleman disease

We report a case of an enhancing middle mediastinal mass imaged by MR and CT. Repeated nondiagnostic biopsies in this 25-yr-old male patient had resulted in profuse hemorrhage. Final pathological diagnosis after thoracotomy and debulking was Castleman disease. This is a rare, benign lymphoproliferative disorder of uncertain etiology. Histological varieties include the hyaline vascular type (80-90%) and the plasma cell type (10-20%). Cure is generally accomplished via surgical excision. This entity should be included in the differential diagnosis of enhancing mediastinal lesions, prompting awareness of the potential for bleeding complications following biopsy.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/31093/1/0000770.pd