A case of giant mediastinal leiomyoma with long-term survival

A 67-year-old female was emergently admitted to our hospital because of severe dyspnea with cyanosis. One month before admission, she consulted a doctor and chest x-ray disclosed a huge tumor shadow occupying most of the left hemithorax. At that time, she did not complain of any particular symptoms except slight cough. Twelve days after admission, the patient lost consciousness and an emergency operation was performed. The tumor showed severe adhesion to the aorta and the lower lobe of the left lung, but not to the esophagus. After the operation, mechanical ventilation was necessary for 13 days to recover pulmonary function. Histological diagnosis was made as leiomyoma, which is rarely seen in the mediastinal region. At present, the patient survived 10 years without any symptom of recurrence. In this paper, the authors report a case of mediastinal leiomyoma which received an emergency operation and attained long term survival. Twelve similar cases reported in the past were also reviewed.