Ethanol sclerosis: one of the best treatments for thymic cyst in very elderly patients?

Intern Med. 1997 Oct;36(10):716-9. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.36.716.

Abstract

An 83-year-old female patient with a giant thymic cyst that was successfully treated by percutaneous aspiration and ethanol injection. The patient had complained of coughing and chest discomfort for several years. A chest X-ray film revealed the shadow of a large abnormal mass in the anterior mediastinum. We diagnosed it as a thymic cyst. The patient refused surgery because of her age. We chose a less invasive therapy, namely, ethanol sclerosis of the cyst. The cyst was successfully treated without any complications, and no recurrence was found at the one-year follow-up. This therapy may be one of the best treatments for thymic cysts, especially in very elderly patients.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Ethanol / administration & dosage
  • Ethanol / therapeutic use*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Injections
  • Mediastinal Cyst / diagnostic imaging
  • Mediastinal Cyst / therapy*
  • Radiography, Thoracic
  • Sclerosing Solutions / administration & dosage
  • Sclerosing Solutions / therapeutic use*
  • Sclerotherapy / methods*
  • Solvents / administration & dosage
  • Solvents / therapeutic use*
  • Suction / methods

Substances

  • Sclerosing Solutions
  • Solvents
  • Ethanol