The Transcervical Extended Access, a Feasible Approach for the Surgical Treatment of Benign Tumors of the Posterior Mediastinum?

Transcervical approach for tumors of the posterior mediastinum is traditionally thought not to be indicated. Hereby we report on a case of a patient with a huge neurogenic tumor of the posterior mediastinum which was successfully excised through a transcervical extended approach and, additionally, the variety of surgical approaches used to remove tumors of the posterior mediastinum is discussed. The new refined techniques of transcervical extended mediastinal operations, which are recently gaining popularity among surgeons, allowed for a safe dissection of the tumor, thus patient could benefit from a short painless postoperative course. The authors suggest that surgeons trained in these particular techniques should consider the choice of the transcervical extended access in selected cases of benign tumors of the posterior mediastinum.