Thoracoscopy: the preferred approach for the resection of selected posterior mediastinal tumors.
The posterior mediastinum is a common site for neurogenic tumors. These are mostly asymptomatic and detected incidentally during radiologic investigations. However, they occasionally present with compressive or neurologic symptoms. The tumors are mostly benign but can also be malignant. Left untreated, they continue to grow. Therefore, once detected, resection is always advised. Traditionally, resection has been performed by standard posterolateral thoracotomy. More recently, such tumors have been removed thoracoscopically. We report our experience with three such cases and present a comprehensive analysis of cases of thoracoscopic resection of posterior mediastinal neurogenic tumors reported in the English literature to suggest guidelines for their current management.
Kumar
Arvind
A
Departments of Surgical Disciplines, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. arvindreena@hotmail.com
Kumar
Subodh
S
Aggarwal
Sandeep
S
Khilnani
G C
GC
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D018317:Nerve Sheath Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000601:surgery; D009455:Neurofibroma / Q000601:surgery; D011859:Radiography; D013906:Thoracoscopy