Posterior mediastinal extramedullary hematopoiesis secondary to hypoxia

Two mediastinal masses were incidentally detected at high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of a 72 year-old male patient, former smoker, affected by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with worsening dyspnea and 2-year medical history of polycythemia secondary to hypoxia. Integration with a multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scan after administration of intravenous injection contrast medium showed slightly inhomogeneous increase of enhancement of masses, suggesting in the first case potential malignancy. Diagnosis of extramedullary hematopoiesis was achieved by fine needle aspiration citology (FNAC). Extramedullary hematopoiesis must be considered in differential diagnosis in patients with medical history of polycythemia and severe hypoxia.