title: Successful resection of thymoma directly invading the right atrium under cardiopulmonary bypass.
abstract: We present the case of an invasive thymoma with severe compression of the right atrium, and infiltration of the atrial wall, causing a superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome. The tumour was resected under cardiopulmonary bypass en bloc with the atrial wall. A bovine pericardial patch was used for atrial reconstruction. We obtained a complete resection of the tumour and regression of symptoms, and, after 1 year of the follow-up, no signs of recurrence are evident. To our knowledge, this is the first case of thymoma directly invading the right atrium, without involvement of the SVC. In this setting, the aggressive surgical approach led to an immediate resolution of the symptoms and contributed to prolonged long-term survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Transplantation - Thoracic Surgery, University of Rome 'Sapienza', Rome, Italy tiziano.degiacomo@tin.it.
authors.forename: Tiziano
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: De Giacomo
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Transplantation - Thoracic Surgery, University of Rome 'Sapienza', Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Patella
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Transplantation - Thoracic Surgery, University of Rome 'Sapienza', Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mazzesi
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Transplantation - Thoracic Surgery, University of Rome 'Sapienza', Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Venuta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D010496:Pericardium / Q000637:transplantation; D013479:Superior Vena Cava Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D013945:Thymoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Cardiopulmonary bypass; Mediastinal tumour; Thymoma