• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.127-130
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• 2009

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the mediastinum is an extremely rare tumor that develops either in the mesenchymal cells of the visceral mediastinum or in the smooth muscle of the great vessels. In the literature, the most significant factor for determining survival is the ability to completely resect the tumor. But there is 30~64% recurrence rate and there is also a lack of data for the role of adjuvant therapy after complete resection. We report here on a case of recurred leiomyosarcoma of the mediastinum that was surgically removed via left thoracotomy 2 years previously and this was misdiagmosed as benign disease.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.6 s.263
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• pp.482-485
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• 2006

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery has gained a broad acceptance for various thoracic lesions because it is the minimally invasive surgery with little tissue trauma, less pain, improved cosmetic results and short recovery time. However, there are some limitations for this method, such as restricted visual sensory information to a two-dimensional image and limited maneuverability of the tips of the instruments. To overcome these limitations, advanced technology has been introduced and the da $Vinci^{TM}$ Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical Inc, Mountain View, CA, USA) became available in 2001. In Korea, the da $Vinci^{TM}$ Surgical System was introduced in Severance hospital (Yonsei University College of Medicine) in May 2005, and approved by KFDA in July 2005. Herein, we report the first experience of robot-assisted thoracic surgery with the da $Vinci^{TM}$ Surgical System in extirpation of a large teratoma in anterior mediastinum.