A Case of Bilateral Thoracotomy to Intractable Mediastinal Abscess due to an Infected Mediastinal Cyst

Abstract

We report a 75-year-old man who needed bilateral thoracotomy for intractable mediastinal abscess due to an infected mediastinal cyst. He presented with precordial pain and a contrast-enhanced chest CT scan revealed a cystic tumor with fat stranding around suspected mediastinal abscess. We emergently removed the cyst wall and abscess by thoracoscopic surgery, but the inflammation and abscess recurred 5 days after the operation. On 12^th postoperative day, we secondly chose bilateral thoracotomy to control infection certainly. He was discharged 25 days after the second operation. Mediastinal cysts are often asymptomatic, but they can be infected with resultant lethal conditions such as mediastinal abscess, that need prompt treatments.