[A case report of video-assisted thoracoscopic resection for a pericardial cyst]

We report here a case of a pericardial cyst resected by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. The patient was a 38-year-old male who was incidentally pointed out as having an abnormal shadow close to the superior vena cava on a chest X-ray film. A pericardial cyst was suspected after magnetic resonance imaging showed low intensity in T1 weighted image and high intensity in T2 weighted image. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was carried out under a general anesthesia. The cyst, sized 2 x 2 cm, was recognized between the superior vena cava and right atrium. The cyst was resected successfully and surgery took only 30 minutes. Postoperative course was uneventful and the pathological diagnosis was pericardial cyst. We think video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is a useful method for the final diagnosis and treatment of pericardial cyst.