Thoracoscopic resection of posterior mediastinal paraganglioma: perioperative management and surgical tips

Posterior mediastinal paraganglioma (PM-PGL) is a rare disease that is difficult to diagnose. If PM-PGL is misdiagnosed preoperatively, surgeons may encounter severe tachycardia and hypertension and easy bleeding from the tumor during the operation. Therefore, it is essential to include PGL as a differential diagnosis for mediastinal tumors. We herein describe a 73-year-old Japanese man with a PM-PGL that was diagnosed preoperatively and resected safely by video-assisted thoracic surgery. Preoperative management of hypertension with doxazosin mesylate, soft coagulation of the peritumor area, and careful clipping of feeding arteries were effective for hemostasis. The patient's vital signs were stable during and after the operation.