THE THYMUS - REEXAMINATION OF AGE-RELATED-CHANGES IN SIZE AND SHAPE
THE THYMUS - REEXAMINATION OF AGE-RELATED-CHANGES IN SIZE AND SHAPE
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DOI：
10.2214/ajr.145.2.249
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发表时间：
1985-01-01
影响因子：
5
通讯作者：
GROSS, BH
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
FRANCIS, IR;GLAZER, GM;GROSS, BH
本文描述了正常和异常胸腺的CT表现及其随年龄的变化。关于年龄极端的胸腺形态和胸腺测量值（特别是厚度）的定量数据很少，无法识别胸腺异常。使用计算机断层扫描的胸腺形态在309例正常患者进行了回顾性分析，检查其外观在极端的年龄和测量其尺寸与类似的数据在23例临床或手术证实的胸腺异常。该研究证实了先前报道的正常胸腺与年龄相关的生长和随后的退化。在超过一半的患者超过40岁，总脂肪退化的腺体发生。当存在时，残留胸腺组织通常呈小的、线性的、卵圆形或圆形，并且在侧纵隔轮廓中不产生局灶性改变。正常和异常腺体的比较表明，胸腺形状可靠地区分正常和异常腺体。多叶性在任何年龄的正常胸腺都不是一个特征，而仅见于胸腺异常的患者。对数的前后，头尾和横向尺寸以及胸腺厚度对年龄作图，以确定定量测量检测胸腺异常的价值。虽然胸腺厚度和横径与厚度乘积的对数是胸腺异常的敏感指标，但这些对于准确识别异常并不是必需的。
The computed tomographic appearance of the normal and abnormal thymus and its age-related changes were described. There is little quantitative data regarding thymic morphology at the extremes of age and the value of thymic measurements, in particular thickness, to recognize thymic abnormality. Using computed tomography the thymic morphology in 309 normal patients was analyzed retrospectively, examining its appearance at the extremes of age and measuring its dimensions for comparison with similar data in 23 patients with clinically or surgically proven thymic abnormality. The study confirmed the previously reported age-related growth and subsequent involution of the normal thymus. In more than half the patients beyond the age of 40, total fatty involution of the gland occurred. When present, residual thymic tissue usually assumed a small, linear, oval, or round shape and did not produce focal alterations in the lateral mediastinal contour. Comparison of normal and abnormal glands suggests that thymic shape reliably separates normal from abnormal glands. Multilobularity was never a feature of the normal gland at any age but was seen only in patients with thymic abnormality. Logarithms of the anteroposterior, craniocaudal and transverse dimensions as well as thymic thickness were plotted against age to determine the value of quantitative measurements in detecting thymic abnormality. While thymic thickness and the logarithm of the product of transverse dimension and thickness were sensitive indicators of thymic abnormality, these were not necessary for accurate recognition of abnormality.