Related Experiment Videos
Video-assisted thoracoscopic management of mediastinal tumors
1Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Taiwan, Republic of China. yujench@ms15.hinet.net
Background:
Many successful attempts at removing benign mediastinal tumors with the video-assisted thoracoscopic technique have been reported, but no formal report has been published regarding malignant mediastinal tumors treated with this technique. We report our preliminary experience with video-assisted thoracoscopic removal of mediastinal tumors, benign or malignant.
Methods:
Seven patients with mediastinal tumors treated with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery were reviewed from January 1999 to April 2000. Their tumor pathologies included benign or malignant thymoma, neurilemmoma, and teratoma.
Results:
The mean operation time was 240 minutes. The mean blood loss was 173 mL. The mean insertion time of chest tubes was 3 days. The mean admission time was 6 days. No deaths occurred during the study. Morbidity occurred in 2 patients. No tumor recurrence has been seen during the mean follow-up of 7 months.
Conclusions:
The short-term results support the feasibility of VATS in managing technically resectable mediastinal tumors. Yet the long-term prognosis for the malignant lesions is deferred and needs further study.