Computed tomography characterization of anterior mediastinal tumors.

The computed tomography manifestations of 39 patients with histologically proved anterior mediastinal tumors were studied by categorizing the tumors by content as solid homogeneous, cystic homogeneous, and heterogeneous. Among 24 solid tumors, thymomas were easily distinguished by their lack of invasiveness from malignant lymphomas and germ-cell tumors. Among 11 cystic tumors, pericardial and thymic cysts were differentiated from cystic teratomas and bronchogenic cysts by their lack of recognizable capsules with or without calcification. The differential diagnosis of a variety of tumors of the anterior mediastinum was facilitated by computed tomography in all but a few exceptional cases.