Video-assisted thoracoscopic resection of a Hattori’s cyst in the posterior mediastinum: a case report

First reported by Hattori in 2004, the mediastinal cyst with Mullerian differentiation is a rather new finding. We present a case of a 51-year-old woman with a cystic formation in the left paravertebral space at the level of 4th and 5th thoracic vertebrae, which was discovered on an MRI scan. We have performed a video-assisted thoracosopic (VATS) resection of the cyst. Histological and immunohistochemical staining showed a ciliated cyst with Mullerian differentiation (i.e. Hattori's cyst). To our knowledge, only 31 cases have been described in the literature so far. Data suggests their prevalence may be higher since they are often found incidentally and are typically asymptomatic.