Thoracoscopic mediastinal tumor resection by subxiphoid approach-dual port thymectomy plus one (DPT+1)

Thoracoscopic subxiphoid approaches, such as the single-port thymectomy (SPT) and dual-port thymectomy (DPT) approaches have been demonstrated to have several advantages compared with the traditional median sternotomy approach or the bilateral or hemilateral video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) approach. However, SPT and DPT are technically demanding for novice surgeons since they require precise concomitant manipulation of surgical instruments and the thoracoscope within the same port, without interference. To overcome these limitations, we have developed a new method, termed DPT plus one (DPT+1), to facilitate separation of the surgical access ports and camera port by adding another intercostal port to the DPT approach. Our method is easy and safe not only for simple mediastinal resection but also for extended thymectomy.