Dumbbell type posterior mediastinal angiolipoma : a case report

A 39-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a 6-month-history of leg weakness, and numbness of the lower trunk and both legs. Romberg sign was positive. Chest X-ray showed round mass 3.5 cm in diameter at the upper mediastinum. Chest CT demonstrated a heterogeneously-enhanced posterior mediastinal tumor at the T3-T4 level which extended into the spinal canal via the intervertebral foramen. MR imaging showed a hypointense mass on T1-weighted and heterogeneous hyperintense mass on T2-weighted. Angiography showed that the tumor was stained with the left 3rd intercostal artery. An extradural part of the mass was removed by laminectomy from T1 to T4. However, profuse bleeding during the operation made us schedule the second look for the intrathoracic mass two months later. The pathologic diagnosis of both lesions was angiolipoma. 23 months after the first operation, the patient was followed in our clinic without any sign of recurrence and without neurological complications.