Mediastinoscopy: An Analysis of 105 Studies

Abstract

One-hundred-and-five mediastinoscopy studies performed between 1963 and 1968 are reviewed. In 80 patients with carcinoma of the lung, metastases were diagnosed from biopsies taken at mediastinoscopy in 29 (36%). Confirmation of diagnosis was obtained in 72% of the cases at operation or post mortem. The remainder underwent neither operation nor post-mortem examination. Of 51 patients with negative lymph node biopsies, operation was undertaken in 38, of whom 8 were actually found to have metastases—a failure rate in mediastinoscopy studies of 22%.