Robotic surgery for posterior mediastinal pathology.

A 51-year-old Caucasian female presented for evaluation of a superior posterior mediastinal mass. The lesion was incidentally found after the patient was involved in a motor vehicle collision. During her trauma evaluation, a computed tomography scan of the chest showed a left paraspinal lesion measuring 2.4 cm by 2 cm (Figure 1). The Hounsfield units were consistent with fluid versus low density soft tissue mass. She had a past medical history consisting of arthritis, fibromyalgia and subarachnoid hemorrhage related to her accident. Her previous surgical procedures included cesarean section, total abdominal hysterectomy with salpingo-oophorectomy and left arm open reduction with internal fixation. She smoked half a pack of cigarettes daily, having done so for her entire adult life. She denied any limitation to her daily activities and had a good performance status. She worked as a registered nurse. The patient was consented for a left robotic excision of mediastinal mass.