Radiologic findings of mediastinal fibromatosis

Chang, You Song; Cho, Jae Ho; Cho, Kil Ho; Hwang, Mee Soo; Park, Bok Hwan

Abstract

The fibromatosis is a rare timorous with local invasion, but is not metastasized distantly. This term should not be applied to nonspecific reactive fibrous proliferations that are part of an inflammatory process of are secondary to injury of hemorrhage and have no tendency toward growth or recurrence. It arises principally from the connective tissue of muscle and overlying fascia or aponeurosis (musculoaponeurotic fibromatosis), and chiefly affects the muscle of shoulder, pelvic girdle, and extremity. The term 'aggressive fibromatosis' is also employed to describe this disease, but it is impossible to predict the clinical course in the individual case. The fibromatosis arising in the mediastinum is very rare, and the report about it is nearly absent. The plain radiography shows merely mass with soft tissue density. The CT demonstrates a poorly defined homogenous or heterogeneous mass, isodense with skeletal muscle on precontrast-images, and slightly hyperdense to muscle on postcontrast-scan. Accurate delineation between the tumor & surrounding tissue is vague or frequently impossible. The authors experienced one case of the mediastinal fibromatosis recently and report the case with review of concerned literature.