[Mediastinal tumors in children: apropos of 2 cases]

General anesthesia in patients with mediastinal tumors has specific problems that need careful evaluation before surgery. Sometimes, mediastinal masses may result in life threatening complications, such as upper airway obstruction, superior vena cava syndrome, cardiac or pulmonary artery compression and acute pulmonary edema. After a review of the literature related to death during general anesthesia in children with mediastinal tumors, we emphasize the importance of the agreement between oncologists, surgeons and anesthesiologists for a sound diagnosis of these patients. We report two patients which illustrate the possibility of airway obstruction during anesthesia. The first was a 13-year-old female with an anterior and mean mediastinal tumor who had severe respiratory complications during general anesthesia for biopsy of cervical lymphadenopathy . The second patient was a 2-year-old female with anterior mediastinal and paratracheal masses and severe respiratory compromise, who was operated under general inhalation anesthesia and spontaneous breathing for biopsy of supraclavicular lymphadenopathy, after a meticulous preanesthetic evaluation. In these patients, the anesthetic procedure is a challenge to the anesthesiologist. Inhalation induction in a half seated position is recommended, maintaining the patient with spontaneous ventilation with halogenated agents and avoiding muscle relaxants.