ObjectiveTo explore the etiology, clinical manifestation, computed tomography (CT) manifestations, pathological character, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment of fibrous mediastinitis in China.MethodsThe clinical data of a patient with fibrous mediastinitis admitted to Hospital of Sichuan Provincial Armed Police Force were retrospectively analyzed and the related literature was reviewed. A literature research was performed with " fibrous mediastinitis, mediastinal fibrosis, sclerosing mediastinitis, chronic mediastinitis ”as the Chinese key word in WanFang database and China national knowledge internet, and " fibrous mediastinitis, mediastinal fibrosis, fibrosis of mediastinum, fibrosing mediastinitis, sclerosing mediastinitis, chronic mediastinitis” as English key words in PubMed database. The time interval was from January 1980 to December 2016.ResultsThe patient was a 59 year old male, whose chest CT scan showed soft tissue density in pulmonary hilar and mediastina, with bronchus truncation and obvious stenosis of pulmonary artery in hilar. Literature review found 12 related articles reporting 37 cases of fibrous mediastinitis in China. Fifteen cases were caused by tuberculosis infection presumably, and 9 cases were idiopathic mediastinal fibrosis. The common clinical manifestations were cough, dyspnea, chest tightness and pain, fever, and edema. CT manifested soft tissue density in pulmonary hilar and mediastina, which were diffuse in 32 cases. Trachea and bronchus were involved in 26 cases, while pulmonary artery in 29 cases, pulmonary vein in 13 cases, plural effusion in 16 cases, and vena cava and its branch in 8 cases. Other involved regions were described in 18 cases, including aorta and its branch in 4 cases, esophagus in 1 case, and there were pericardial effusion in 6 cases. Fourteen cases had pathology results.ConclusionsThe most common etiological factor of fibrous mediastinitis in China is tuberculosis infection, secondly idiopathic mediastinal fibrosis. Clinical manifestation is nonspecific. mostly diffuse, surrounding bronchus, esophagus and blood vessels in hilar and mediastina, and sometimes infiltrating into pericardium and pleurae. Its pathological character is proliferation of fibrous tissue, with proliferation of lymphocytes, and without envelope. The diagnosis depends on CT and pathology. Corticosteroid is considered to treat idiopathic mediastinal fibrosis, while surgery and vascular interventional therapy may improve symptoms of vascular compression in mediastina.

Citation： WANG Yamin, JIANG Guoqiang. Fibrous mediastinitis: a case report and review of the literature. Chinese Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2018, 17(6): 593-598. doi: 10.7507/1671-6205.201709037 Copy