A 71-year-old male presented with esophageal cancer and severe aortic valve regurgitation. Treatment strategies for such patients are controversial. Considering the risks of cardiopulmonary bypass and potential esophageal cancer metastasis, we successfully performed transcatheter aortic valve implantation and minimally invasive three-incision thoracolaparoscopy combined with radical resection of esophageal cancer (McKeown) simultaneously in the elderly patient who did not require neoadjuvant treatment. This dual minimally invasive procedure took 6 hours and the patient recovered smoothly without any surgical complications.

Objective To assess the clinical value of a novel surgical technique—Tubeless subxiphoid uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with percutaneous suspension technique via balance-shaped sternal elevation device in the resection of anterior mediastinal masses. Methods Patients who underwent tubeless subxiphoid uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery via balance-shaped sternal elevation device in anterior mediastinal masses process at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University from March to April 2025 were included, and their clinical data were analyzed. Results A total of 4 patients were included, with 2 males and 2 females, aged 58-75 years. The diameter of the tumor was 2.5-3.0 cm. The operation time was 60.0-150.0 min, intraoperative blood loss was 5-10 mL, pain score on the 3rd day after surgery was 0 points, and postoperative hospital stay was 2-3 days. All patients achieved complete resection of the masses and thymus without perioperative complications. Conclusion The tubeless subxiphoid uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with percutaneous suspension technique via balance-shaped sternal elevation device technique optimizes surgical visualization and instrument maneuverability while avoiding complications related to conventional anesthesia and tubing, thereby markedly enhancing the minimally invasive profile of anterior mediastinal masses resections. In addition to maintaining procedural safety, this approach effectively reduces postoperative pain and accelerates patient recovery, highlighting its potential for widespread clinical adoption.

Surgery is an important method for the treatment of resectable esophageal cancer. With the continuous development of minimally invasive esophageal technology, video-assisted thoracoscopic esophagectomy (VATE) has demonstrated obvious advantages over conventional open surgery and has been widely accepted. However, there are still some esophageal cancer patients who cannot benefit from VATE. Inflatable video-assisted mediastinoscopic transhiatal esophagectomy(IVMTE) does not require one-lung ventilation, reduces postoperative complications, expands surgical indications, and brings surgical opportunities for patients with impaired lung function and thoracic lesions, which has become a new choice for the treatment of esophageal cancer. However, the limited field of surgical view and the tunneling surgical approach undoubtedly increase the difficulty of surgery, and how to clearly expose the anatomical structures and thoroughly dissect the lymph nodes has always been the key points and difficulties of surgery. The authors review relevant literatures to discuss the clinical progress and limitations of IVMTE.