A case of thymic carcinoma complicated by aortic stenosis for which surgery was performed simultaneously

Abstract

A 70-year-old woman was found to have a heart murmur during her annual medical examination, and she was diagnosed with aortic stenosis. A 51-mm-diameter anterior mediastinal tumor suspected to be a thymoma was detected at that time. Computed tomography showed that the tumor was located in front of the ascending aorta. Because she had no apparent symptoms of aortic stenosis, we assessed the aortic stenosis as a relative indication for the operation. Preoperatively, we considered that the tumor might be easily resected because it was located within the same field as that for open heart surgery. Therefore, we performed simultaneous thymectomy and aortic valve replacement. Because the tumor was adhered to the pericardium, we partially resected the pericardium. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful, and no complications occurred. The final pathological diagnosis was thymic squamous cell carcinoma. Because the cytologic examination of the pericardial effusion indicated class V, she subsequently received chemotherapy for the thymic carcinoma. She had not developed recurrence by 2 years postoperatively.