Thoracic neuroblastoma: a retrospective review of our institutional experience with comparison of the thoracoscopic and open approaches to resection

Video-assisted thoracic surgery resection for pediatric mediastinal neurogenic tumors

“…It should also be noted that, in the present case series, the outcome of VATS was good even in children with advanced stage malignant tumors, whereas the largest VATS-treated pediatric case series reported in the literature so far included only INSS stage 1 tumors [7]. Despite the absence of cases with extension of the tumor into the spinal cord, our results indicate that complete resection of malignant neurogenic tumors is possible even in patients with more advanced stage disease [5,8].…”

“…In addition, the results obtained with VATS are similar to those obtained with thoracotomy, with the advantages of better visualization of mediastinal structures, less postoperative pain, reduced hospital stay, and excellent cosmetic results [5]. In addition, this minimally invasive approach can prevent the complications of classic thoracotomy, such as scoliosis, shoulder elevation, winged scapula (scapula alata), or chest wall asymmetry [6].…”

“…The lack of thoracic drainage did not represent risk in the selected cases [5,13] and, in fact, may have prevented pain and decreased the risk of contamination.…”

“…Many investigators have enthusiastically reported their experience with VATS for pediatric mediastinum neurogenic tumor resection [5,[7][8][9][10]. Despite these benefits, the use of VATS to treat intrathoracic malignancies in childhood is still controversial [11].…”

Endoscopic approach to thoracal masses

“…Torakoskopik nöroblastom eksizyonunda daha az intraoperatif kan kaybı, göğüs tüpünün daha kısa süre tutulması, kısa süreli hastanede kalış nedenleri ile en az açık cerrahi kadar başarılı olduğu ve işlem seçi-minde bu kriterlerin akılda tutulması belirtilmiştir (13) . Acker ve ark.…”