title: Primary mediastinal hemangiopericytoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hemangiopericytoma is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm, accounting for about 1% of vascular tumors The tumor occurs most commonly in the skin, subcutaneous soft tissues, muscles of the extremities, retroperitoneum but rarely in the lung, trachea or mediastinum.
  
  
  METHODS
  A rare case of primary mediastinal hemangiopericytoma is presented. A 72-year-old woman was treated by complete surgical resection of the tumor. Details of the clinical and radiographic feature are presented. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful with no evidence of recurrence 9 months after the operation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hemangiopericytoma is an uncommon, potentially malignant tumor originating from pericytes in the small vessels and surgical radical excision is the treatment of choice, although the criteria for determining the area of resection have not been established. International literature has demonstrated that recurrent disease usually occurs within 2 years and therefore a long-term careful follow-up is required.
authors.affiliation: Cardiothoracic Surgery Department, G. Papanikolaou General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece. akisxnaris@yahoo.gr
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chnaris
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Barbetakis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Efstathiou
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fessatidis