Thoracoscopy-assisted treatment for mediastinal metastasis of thyroid cancer: a case report

Advanced thyroid cancer with upper mediastinal lymph node metastasis is not rare in the clinical setting. For patients with severe metastasis, a thoracocervical incision is usually performed for dissection of lymph nodes. However, the difficult operation of three-port thoracoscopy to support performance of a cervical incision in the treatment of upper mediastinal lymph node metastasis has rarely been reported to date. We herein describe a case involving the treatment of thyroid cancer with upper mediastinal lymph node metastasis. The lymph node metastasis was severe, closely adhered to the innominate vein, and fused into a mass. Thoracoscopy with a cervical incision was performed and proved to be a highly difficult surgical maneuver. The patient recovered quickly after the operation. Repeat computed tomography showed no swollen metastatic lymph nodes, indicating that the dissection was thorough. Thoracoscopy with a neck incision is more difficult than conventional longitudinal split sternotomy in the treatment of upper mediastinal lymph node metastasis, but its advantages are less severe trauma and faster recovery. This procedure may be performed by surgeons with proficient skill in cervical surgery and thoracoscopy techniques.