©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Apr 6, 2023; 11(10): 2329-2335
Published online Apr 6, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i10.2329
Published online Apr 6, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i10.2329
Formation of a rare curve-shaped thoracolith documented on serial chest computed tomography images: A case report
Fu-Chieh Hsu, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei 114, Taiwan
Tsai-Wang Huang, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei 114, Taiwan
Ta-Wei Pu, Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei 114, Taiwan
Author contributions: Hsu FC contributed to data collection and manuscript writing; Huang TW and Pu DW contributed to manuscript revision and study supervision; All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for the publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Corresponding author: Tsai-Wang Huang, MD, PhD, Professor, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, No. 325 Section 2, Chenggong Rd, Neihu District, Taipei 114, Taiwan. chi-wang@yahoo.com.tw
Received: December 26, 2022
Peer-review started: December 26, 2022
First decision: January 5, 2023
Revised: January 11, 2023
Accepted: March 6, 2023
Article in press: March 6, 2023
Published online: April 6, 2023
Processing time: 94 Days and 1.9 Hours
Peer-review started: December 26, 2022
First decision: January 5, 2023
Revised: January 11, 2023
Accepted: March 6, 2023
Article in press: March 6, 2023
Published online: April 6, 2023
Processing time: 94 Days and 1.9 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Thoracolithiasis, a rare benign condition manifesting with one or more small nodules in the pleural cavity, is usually asymptomatic and discovered incidentally on imaging or during surgery. We present the case of a 46-year-old man who was treated for lung fungal infection and subsequently underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery with pneumolysis due to pleural adhesions. The serial chest computed tomography images obtained during the 5-year follow-up showed right pleural thickening near the lower posterior mediastinum with formation of a large curve-shaped thoracolith from sporadic calcified nodules. Thoracolithiasis formation is rarely observed, and this is the first case of such thoracolith shape.