Subxiphoid VATS Thymectomy After Cardiac Surgery

Although the traditional (median sternotomy) approach has been set as the standard for thymectomy due to its better visualization and control of the anatomical structures, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) thymectomy can offer a less invasive technique with fewer perioperative complications and better cosmetic outcomes.

This article contains a video demonstrating excision of anterior mediastinal mass via subxiphoid VATS technique on a pregnant female with a history of previous cardiac surgery via midline sternotomy. In this case, a subxiphoid approach was chosen to avoid the complications of redo sternotomy. According to our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature of such an operation.