A 25 year old man with no previous history was admitted for a recurrent right sided encysted pleural effusion. Thoracocentesis revealed an exudative lipase-rich-fluid. Because of the persistence of abundant pleural fluid after several thoracocentesis a diagnostic mediastinotomy was performed. This revealed a necrotic cystic mediastinal tumor composed of well differentiated pancreatic tissue, nervous tissue, digestive and respiratory glands, and a dermoid mass with hair and sebacious glands. This led to a diagnosis of benign, mature mediastinal teratoma. We suggest that the chronic pleural effusion was maintained by a fistula from the tumour into the pleural cavity and the secretion of proteolytic enzymes by the well-differentiated pancreatic tissue.

Inflammatory pseudotumors of the lung are uncommon benign lung tumors. Their tendency for local extension requires an exact histopathological diagnosis to rule out neoplastic proliferation. The case presented here highlights the clinical findings as well as the difficulties in making the diagnosis and the therapeutic uncertainties.

Inflammatory pseudotumors of the lung are uncommon benign lung tumors. Their tendency for local extension requires an exact histopathological diagnosis to rule out neoplastic proliferation. The case presented here highlights the clinical findings as well as the difficulties in making the diagnosis and the therapeutic uncertainties.

A 74-year-old woman was hospitalised for pleuro-pneumonia of the right base. The chest x-ray showed the presence of a right paratracheal opacity which persisted during the course of the infectious episode. A computed tomographic scan of the thorax showed a voluminous anterior mediastinal mass which compressed the trachea without invading it. Surgical excision enabled the ablation of a tumour which was haemorrhagic and the histological examination established a diagnosis of cystic parathyroid adenoma. At anytime did the patient present either clinical symptoms or biochemical signs suggesting primary hyperparathyroidism.

The authors record the case of a patient who was under review for pulmonary tuberculosis in whom an Abrikossof granular cell tumour and a cyst were found which had developed from an intrapulmonary lymph node. These two entities are rare and their association extremely unusual and have never been described until now. We review their histogenesis.

The authors record the case of a patient who was under review for pulmonary tuberculosis in whom an Abrikossof granular cell tumour and a cyst were found which had developed from an intrapulmonary lymph node. These two entities are rare and their association extremely unusual and have never been described until now. We review their histogenesis.