Video-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy (VAT-T) with lateral thoracotomy for stage II and III thymoma

Abstract

Thymoma has malignant potential and is the most common anterior mediastinal tumor. Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), which is less invasive surgical procedure, is a good option for resecting Masaoka stage I tumors. Whether VATS is appropriate, depends on the surgeon's judgment and accurate imaging diagnosis. We introduce a technique involving a combination of video-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy (VAT-T) and lateral thoracotomy for stage II and some stage III thymomas that have locally invaded the lung and/or pericardium.