Successful treatment of mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the carina

We successfully treated a 33-year-old man with mufoepidermoid carcinoma at the carina. Through preoperative spiral computed tomography with multiplanar and three-dimensional reconstructions, the lesion extended along the right main bronchus across the orifice of the right upper lobe. He underwent a carinal resection plus right upper lobectomy and reconstruction of the carina. He shows neither anastomotic complication nor recurrence of disease 1 year after surgery. Spiral computed tomography was used to evaluate the preoperative and postoperative state of the central airway. (Ann Thorac Surg 2001;71:366-8) (C) 2001 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.