Imaging findings of three cases of large mediastinal mature cystic teratoma

Mature cystic teratoma (MCT) is a benign, slow-growing tumor and accounts for approximately 75% of mediastinal germ cell tumors. Patients with MCT are often asymptomatic when the tumors are small. Most of the symptoms are frequently related to compression of the mediastinal structures. We herein describe 3 adult cases of MCT. The patients were a 37-year-old man, a 35-year-old woman, and a 54-year-old woman. They were hospitalized with compression-related symptoms, such as chest pain, dyspnea, and cough. Findings from conventional chest radiograph, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging were characterized. Conventional chest radiography still plays a major role in the initial evaluation of MCT, while CT remains the preferred modality for initial cross-sectional imaging evaluation of mediastinal lesions. However, thoracic magnetic resonance imaging provides more detailed and often definitive evaluation of mediastinal masses than CT because of its superior tissue characterization.