A 26-Year-Old Man With a Slowly Growing Heterogeneous Intrathoracic Mass

Abstract

A 26-year-old man presented with complaints of left-sided chest pain and shortness of breath with moderate exertion, of 6 month duration. The patient had a history of asthma but reported that the exertional shortness of breath was not like his typical asthma symptoms and was not associated with wheezing. The left-sided chest pain was a dull and constant ache, without any aggravating or relieving factors. The patient denied fever, chills, night sweats, cough, or weight loss. Past medical history was significant for asthma since childhood, which was well controlled on budesonide inhaler. He had received a gunshot wound 1½ years earlier and had abdominal surgery at that time “to stop the bleeding,” but records of the procedure were not accessible.