Neurogenic Dumbbell Tumor Resected by Combined Posterior and Thoracoscopic Approaches

The patient was a 51-year-old female with a chief complaint of numbness of the right thigh. A dumbbell tumor compressing the 11th thoracic spinal cord was present in the posterior mediastinum on chest computed tomography and myelography. In surgery, the tumor in the spinal canal was resected by a posterior approach, and the residual tumor was completely excised by thoracoscopic surgery. The tumor measured 78 48 mm, and histopathologically diagnosed as schwannoma. The surgical procedure for neurogenic dumbbell tumors should be decided based on Eden’s classification. For types II and III, such as this patient, excision of the tumor in the spinal canal should be performed to avoid spinal cord damage, followed by thoracoscopic complete resection. Thoracoscopic surgery was applicable even though the tumor was large.