Extended pleurectomy decortication for thymoma with pleural dissemination.

Complete resection is the mainstay of treatment for thymoma. Even for advanced-stage thymoma with pleural dissemination, complete resection with extrapleural pneumonectomy may provide a favorable prognosis. Pleurectomy decortication, a lung-sparing surgery, has been preferably employed in recent years as an alternative surgical procedure for malignant pleural mesothelioma. However, little has been reported about pleurectomy decortication for other malignant tumors with pleural dissemination. Here, we present the first case of thymoma with pleural dissemination for which complete en bloc resection was achieved with extended pleurectomy decortication.