A 30-year-old Caucasian male from São Paulo was admited to the hospital. He had been complaining about constant, moderate pain in the anterior and lateral left hemi-thoracic region for the last three mouths as well as associatede great effort dyspnea over the last mounth. Investigation with chest X-rays, CT scans and MRI revealed an large vessel invasion. The patient was submitted to a left side parasternal madiastinostomy and a biopsy of the mediastinal mass which was complicated by severe bleeding. An immediate median full sternotomy was elected in addition to a left anterior-lateral thoracotomy for total tumor resection and control of the bleeding. Evolution was good, with hospital discharge on the ninth postoperative day. The anatomical-pathological essay disclosed a hemangioendothelioma of the mediastinum.
Hemangioendothelioma; Mediastinal neoplasms