Video-assisted Thoracic Surgery with a Kirschner Wire Traction for an Anterior Mediastinal Tumor : A Case Report

抄録

Currently, there are three main approaches to surgery for anterior mediastinal tumors : median sternotomy, video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), and robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS). We describe one of the surgical options for anterior mediastinal tumors. A 79-year-old woman with a mediastinal tumor was referred to our hospital. Computed tomography revealed a small-sized tumor that did not invade the surrounding tissue in the left of the anterior mediastinum. We performed surgical resection of the tumor via VATS with a Kirschner wire. The Kirschner wire was inserted into the subcutaneous tissue approximately 10cm in the third intercostal space across the sternum. Then, the wire was connected with the Kirschner Traction Bow^®. The bow was lifted using the Octopus Retractor^® to elevate the anterior chest wall as much as possible to obtain a better operative field in the limited mediastinal space. The pathological diagnosis was mediastinal hemangioma, and the patient has been recurrence-free for 2 years postoperatively. These combined procedures seem to be safer than VATS alone and more cost effective than RATS. Altogether, VATS with elevation of the anterior chest wall using a Kirschner wire may be an effective treatment option for anterior mediastinal tumors, as it is minimally invasive, simple, affordable, and safe.