VIDEO-ASSISTED THORACOSCOPY IN SINGLE-STAGE RESECTION OF A PARAAORTICPOSTERIOR MEDIASTINAL DUMBBELL TUMOR

We report the successful single-stage thoracoscopic resection of a neu rogenic mediastinal dumbbell tumor close to the aortic arch, using a c ombined posterior approach. A 63-year-old asymptomatic male was referr ed to our hospital for evaluation of an abnormal round shadow in the l eft thoracic cavity on a chest radiograph. He was diagnosed to have an intrathoracic and intraspinal neurogenic dumbbell-shaped tumor close to the aortic arch. Surgery combined both a laminectomy and thoracosco pic tumor resection. The tumor was lysed as deeply as possible via a p osterior approach, then with the patient in the right lateral position the pleura around the tumor on the aortic side was clipped and cauter ized thorocoscopically, freeing the tumor completely and allowing it t o be extracted in toto.