CT diagnosis of neuroendocrine carcinoma of the mediastinum(with report of 11 cases)

Objective:To analyze the CT findings of neuroendocrine carcinoma of mediastinum,in order to raise awareness of the disease and improve the diagnostic accuracy.Methods:A retrospective analysis of CT findings of 11 cases of pathologically confirmed neuroendocrine carcinoma of mediastinum were performed.Results:Of the 11 cases,4 were located in anterior mediastinum,1 case was located in posterior mediastinum,and the remaining 6 cases were located in the middle mediastinum.two of the 11 cases were round in shape,2 cases were with mild lobulated edges and 7 cases had irregular shapes.All 11 cases had solid density,of which 9 cases were with heterogeneous density and showed cystic degeneration.Punctate and flaky calcifications were found in 7 of 11 lesions.After injecting contrast medium,3 cases showed marked enhancement,others showed slight to moderate enhancement.All 11 cases showed heterogeneous enhancement.Except the one in the posterior mediastinum,all other 10 lesions were invading or compressing mediastinal structures.Conclusion:Neuroendocrine carcinoma of mediastinum has characteristics on CT images,which has great significance for clinical diagnosis and surgical planning.