# A rare case of posterior mediastinal myelolipoma resected using robot-assisted thoracic surgery

## TL;DR

A rare case of a posterior mediastinal myelolipoma was successfully removed using robot-assisted thoracic surgery, demonstrating the technique's precision and safety.

## Contribution

Demonstrates the effectiveness of robot-assisted thoracic surgery for resecting fragile posterior mediastinal myelolipomas.

## Key findings

- Robot-assisted thoracic surgery allowed complete resection of a fragile posterior mediastinal myelolipoma.
- The patient was discharged without complications, highlighting the safety of the procedure.
- Robotic systems offer advantages like magnification and tremor filtration, ideal for small-space tumor removal.

## Abstract

Myelolipomas are rare tumors containing adipose tissue and normal hematopoietic cells that mainly occur in the adrenal cortex. Mediastinal myelolipomas are extremely rare. The three-dimensional, high-definition view with up to 10 times image magnification, 7 degrees of freedom of surgical instruments, and filtration of physiologic hand tremors with robotic systems are ideal for removing mediastinal tumors in a small space. Herein, we report a case of posterior mediastinal myelolipoma treated using robotic resection.

A 72-year-old man with an abnormal shadow on a chest roentgenogram was referred to our hospital. Computed tomography revealed extrapulmonary paravertebral lesions in the right posterior mediastinum. Despite the tumor's fragility, complete resection was achieved with robot-assisted thoracic surgery while preserving the lesion integrity. The tumor was diagnosed as a myelolipoma using histopathology of the resected section, and the patient was discharged with no complications on the fifth postoperative day.

Mediastinal myelolipomas are fragile tumors with a thin capsule, consisting of adipose tissue and normal hematopoietic cells. Robot-assisted thoracic surgery is particularly effective for resecting posterior mediastinal tumors like myelolipomas that contain adipose components.

With delicate manipulation, robot-assisted thoracic surgery can be used to safely and completely resect fragile posterior mediastinal tumors, including myelolipomas.

•Myelolipomas are rare tumors consisting of adipose tissue and normal hematopoietic cells, typically found in the adrenal cortex, with mediastinal cases being extremely rare.•Robot-assisted thoracic surgery enables precise and safe resection of fragile posterior mediastinal tumors like myelolipomas.

Myelolipomas are rare tumors consisting of adipose tissue and normal hematopoietic cells, typically found in the adrenal cortex, with mediastinal cases being extremely rare.

Robot-assisted thoracic surgery enables precise and safe resection of fragile posterior mediastinal tumors like myelolipomas.