Video-assisted thoracoscopic right upper lobectomy in a patient with a right-sided aortic arch and Kommerell diverticulum

Abstract

Abstract Background It is a very rare condition for a patient to have right lung cancer and a right-sided aortic arch simultaneously. Right lobectomy under video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in such a patient is a challenging procedure that is seldom reported. We successfully performed a VATS right upper lobectomy in a 77-year-old female with a right-sided aortic arch and Kommerell diverticulum. Case presentation A 77-year-old woman was referred to our division for a mixed ground-glass opacity lesion in the right upper lung. A right-sided aortic arch with Kommerell diverticulum was identified by preoperative 3D CT reconstruction. A VATS right upper lobectomy with radical mediastinal lymph node dissection was performed, and the final histological staging was Ia3 (pT1cN0M0). The patient was discharged without any complications. Conclusions We conclude that the video-assisted thoracic surgery can be safely performed in such conditions. It is difficult to determine the extent of upper mediastinal lymph node dissection in such cases.

Keywords

• Right-sided aortic arch
• Video-assisted thoracic surgery
• Lobectomy
• Mediastinal lymph node dissection