Disease Introduction
Mediastinal tumors are masses located in the mediastinal space between the lungs and behind the sternum. Common types include thymomas and teratomas in the anterior mediastinum, and neurogenic tumors such as schwannomas in the posterior mediastinum. Most are discovered incidentally during routine CT scans. Some patients experience chest tightness, chest pain, and cough. Those with thymomas may also experience difficulty lifting their eyelids and weakness in their limbs. Treatment primarily involves surgical resection, and most cases can now be performed minimally invasively using thoracoscopic or robotic methods. Malignant tumors may be treated with adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy, along with regular follow-up.
Cutting-edge high-precision diagnostic and treatment technologies
- Robot-assisted resection : The fourth-generation da Vinci robot's 540-degree flexible robotic arm can precisely separate blood vessels deep within the narrow mediastinum. By 2025, many hospitals had already used it for minimally invasive resection of giant mediastinal lesions.
- Application of domestically produced robots : Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital's domestically produced robot-assisted thoracic surgery will exceed 1,000 cases by 2025, significantly improving accessibility;
- Subxiphoid minimally invasive procedure : Subxiphoid thoracoscopic surgery creates an operating space through the retrosternal space, which can simultaneously expose the bilateral mediastinum and phrenic nerve, and the incision is hidden;
- Tubeless minimally invasive surgery : Completely tubeless robotic and thoracoscopic mediastinal tumor resection has become a new direction, allowing patients to eat and get out of bed in the early postoperative period;
- Endoscopic ultrasound biopsy : EBUS-TBNA ultrasound-guided needle aspiration biopsy can be performed to obtain samples from difficult mediastinal lesions via intracavitary navigation, avoiding open thoracotomy.
