Aortopulmonary ectopic parathyroid gland and concurrent thymolipoma

Abstract

Ectopic parathyroid adenomas are considered the main cause of primary hyperparathyroidism. However, concurrent parathyroid and thymic pathologies are rarely diagnosed in the same patient. A 47-year-old man with history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and myasthenia gravis presented with persistent hypercalcemia. Laboratory investigations, computed tomography, and technetium-99 m sestamibi scintigraphy revealed ectopic parathyroid glands, a mediastinal mass, and an enlarged thymus. The patient underwent thymectomy and mass excision via a median sternotomy. Histopathology was consistent with ectopic parathyroid adenoma and thymolipoma. The serum calcium and parathormone concentrations normalized within 48 hours after surgery.

Keywords: Adenoma; Hypercalcemia; Hyperparathyroidism; Mediastinal neoplasms; Parathyroid neoplasms; Thymus neoplasms.