1999 Volume 13 Issue 5 Pages 607-613
This is a report on 9 patients who underwent thoracoscopic resection of paravertebral neurogenic tumor between January 1993 and December 1997. There were 5 males and 4 females ; the average age was 39.8 years. Four of nine tumors were located in upper paravertebral, five in lower vertebral. One tumor was dumbbell type. The resected tumors averaged 4.4 cm in their greatest diameter. The average operative time was 141 minutes. Three or four trocars were needed in each case. Blood loss during operation was a little except for the dumbbell type tumor. The thoracic drains were removed after an average of 4.6 days and the average hospital stay was 10.2 days. A complication developed in two patients. one with pleural effusion and one with postoperative transient sensory disturbance of forearm. Blood loss during thoracoscopic operation was significantly less than standard thoracotomy and postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter.
Thoracoscopic resection of paravertebral benign neurogenic tumor is safe and minimally invasive. We can operate under good visualization, even in such cases which are usually difficult to approach.
