Thoracoscopic resection of bilateral multiple superior mediastinal neurofibromas.

BACKGROUND

The indications for surgical resection concerning multiple bilateral neurofibromas in the superior mediastinum remain controversial, because vascular injury or development of postoperative Horne syndrome are concerned.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 60-year-old woman presented with multiple nodules in her right neck and bilateral chest cavity tops which indicated neurofibromatosis. The thoracic masses grew slowly over 9 years, and she then underwent a 2-stage resection starting with the left to right side. Bilateral tumors were completely removed via video-assisted thoracic surgery. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful, without postoperative Horner syndrome.

CONCLUSIONS

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of multiple bilateral superior mediastinal neurofibromas resected from the pulmonary apices via thoracoscopy. We selected a minimally invasive pure video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery approach and enucleated some tumors to avoid nerve injury. This approach may be safe and useful for multiple neurofibromas in patients with neurofibromatosis.