Thoracoscopic resection of parosteal lipoma of the rib using orthopedic electric micro drill.

Parosteal lipoma derived from the rib is extremely rare and is usually resected through open thoracotomy despite its benign nature. A 33-year-old man who had no symptoms was referred to our hospital for treatment of a 30-mm chest wall mass that has slightly increased in size during 2 years of follow-up. En bloc resection of the tumor with parts of the 3rd and 4th ribs was performed through a complete thoracoscopic approach using orthopedic electric micro drill. This was the first report on a case of parosteal lipoma of the rib that was resected by a complete thoracoscopic procedure.