Pericardial diverticulum arising from the right lateral superior aortic recess: a mimicker of cystic anterior mediastinal mass.

AIM: To report the prevalence of pericardial diverticulum of the right lateral superior aortic recess (RSAR) on computed tomography (CT), to analyse the structural CT findings of whether or not the structure is large enough to be seen on chest radiographs, and to describe changes in size and shape of RSAR on follow-up CT.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A well-circumscribed, fluid-attenuation lesion in the anterior mediastinum with the following CT features was defined as a pericardial diverticulum of the RSAR: no enhancing wall, communication with the RSAR, abutment to the heart with an acute angle, and moulding by adjacent structures. Chest CT images of 31 patients with the diverticulum were evaluated, including four selected from 1,130 consecutive patients (0.4%).

RESULTS: The diverticulum projected ventrally from the RSAR and its largest size on axial CT ranged between 12-56 mm. Although the RSAR and the largest diverticular portion were usually seen on the same axial image (n=19), the latter sometimes lay above (n=1) or below (n=11) the former. On sagittal images, the last 11 diverticula resembled teardrops hanging from the RSAR by small stems. All of the 24 patients, each with 1-31 follow-up CT examinations, showed size fluctuations ranging between 1-46 mm (mean, 16 mm) during a follow-up period of 0.5-172 months (mean, 65 months). The diverticulum was not identifiable in five cases and was identifiable but did not show a connection with the RSAR in three cases when the diverticulum was smallest in size.

CONCLUSIONS: In cases of cystic anterior mediastinal mass, a deliberate search for its connection with the RSAR on all available CT images including previous studies is necessary for the diagnosis of pericardial diverticulum of the RSAR.