Video-Assisted Thoracoscopy for the Diagnosis of Mediastinal Masses in Children

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Video-assisted thoracoscopy has been successfully used for several different thoracic procedures in adults. However, its use in children has been limited. The present study evaluated our experience with video-assisted thoracoscopy in the diagnosis of mediastinal masses in children. METHODS: Nine children (age range, 3 to 18 years) with undiagnosed mediastinal masses underwent video-assisted thoracoscopy. The operation was performed using general anesthesia, with the patient intubated with a single lumen endotracheal tube. RESULTS: In all cases adequate tissue for diagnosis was obtained. Three patients had tuberculosis, two had Hodgkin's disease, two had granuloma, one had metastatic Wilms1 tumor, and one had thymic hyperplasia. There were no complications related to the operative procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Video-assisted thoracoscopy for the diagnosis of mediastinal masses in children is a safe procedure. It provides good visualization, access to the mediastinum and adequate tissue for diagnosis. Further, postoperative discomfort is tolerable and cosmetic results are excellent.