Techniques for avoidance of sternotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass during resection of extensive renal cell carcinoma with vena caval tumor thrombus extension above the diaphragm.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a commonly encountered malignancy in urology. Extensive RCC may frequently invade the renal vein and the inferior vena cava (IVC). In advanced cases, this tumor thrombus may grow cephalad up to the level of the right atrium. The mainstay of surgical treatment for such lesions remains resection of all possible tumor burden. Current techniques for resection of supradiaphragmatic RCC tumor thrombus in the IVC incorporate cardiopulmonary bypass (CBP) with deep hypothermic circulatory arrest, especially in cases where the thrombus reaches the right atrium. We report a safe technique using a transabdominal approach to such lesions that allows exposure to the level of the intrapericardial IVC and right atrium permitting safe resection of the tumor thrombus without median sternotomy, CBP, or deep hypothermic circulatory arrest.