Case 40011

Presentation of CaseA forty-year-old executive was referred to the hospital because a mediastinal mass had been discovered on a survey chest photofluorogram two weeks previously.Thirteen years before admission the patient had recurrent pain in the right lower quadrant, occasionally associated with low-grade fever. After several months of recurrent episodes lasting only a few days, he was admitted to the hospital during an exacerbation, and an appendectomy was performed. The pathological diagnosis was "healing appendicitis." Exploration of the abdomen at the operation revealed no Meckel's diverticulum and no mesenteric lymphadenopathy. A barium-enema examination before operation was negative; calcification of . . .