1997 Volume 11 Issue 1 Pages 90-94
We performed a thoracoscopic surgery for benign schwannoma originating from the left vagal nerve. The patient, a 76-year-old female, was admitted with an abnormal shadow on chest X-ray.
Chest CT showed round tumor of 35 mm diameter which was enhanced by contrast between the descending aorta and pulmonary artery. Under thoracoscopy the tumor was located in mediastinum and connected with the intrathoracic vagal nerve. The tumor was resected by dissecting the capsule and conserving the vagal nerve. Pathological diagnosis was a benign shwannoma and the postoperative course was uneventful. Intrathoracic schwannoma arising from the vagal nerve was rare. Whether or not to resect the vagal nerve was most important issue and we concluded that thoracoscopically resection with conservation of the vagal nerve was a good operative selection if the age and the histology were considered.
