Thoracoscopic enucleation of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the esophagus.

Since the introduction of thoracoscopy in surgery, many thoracic interventions have been considered feasible and safe via the thoracoscopic route. We report the case of a 42-year-old man with a 7.5-cm esophageal gastrointestinal stromal tumor. Thoracoscopic enucleation of the tumor was performed and the patient was discharged on the third postoperative day after tolerating a full oral diet. Given the well-known advantages of minimally invasive surgery, we believe that removal of esophageal submucosal tumors can be attempted using a thoracoscopic approach, even if the tumor is large.