Perioperative echocardiography for invasive thymoma with intracardiac invasion in a child: a case report

Abstract

In the paediatric population, thymomas are rare mediastinal tumours. Surgical management is the main treatment for these tumours. A case of an aggressive thymoma with intracardiac invasion in a child is presented. The management plan involved either resection of the mass or de-bulking of the tumour followed by radiation therapy. Anaesthetic management for this procedure is reported and the use of transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography during the perioperative period is described. Echocardiography adds important haemodynamic and anatomical information not obtained from traditional imaging and it is recommended that it be considered routinely in these patients.