successful surgical management of mediastinal ganglioneuroma in a 12-year-old boy: a case report

Introduction: ganglioneuromas (gns) are benign tumors composed of gangliocytes and mature stroma which is usually asymptomatic. the gns are differentiated neuronal tumors without immature elements and can arise from peripheral autonomic ganglion sites. the main treatment for that is complete surgical excision. in the case of tumor resection, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are not indicated. case presentation: the 12-year-old boy was referred to abouzar hospital in ahvaz with complaints of cough, cold, and shortness of breath. based on abdominal and pelvic ct scans, a heterogeneous hypodense mass (135 × 105 mm) was observed in the left upper region. the pathology of it was ganglioneuroma. then the patient underwent surgery with a midline incision extending to the 6 - 7 intercostal space. finally, the patient was discharged with good general condition. conclusions: the most effective treatment for ganglioneuroma is complete surgical removal of the mass. this study highlights the importance of imaging in diagnosing ganglioneuroma as a tumor located in the posterior mediastinum.