Mediastinoscopy was carried out in 45 patients with lung mediastinal disease in the period from February, 1967 to December, 1974. Histopathological examination revealed sarcoidosis in 10 out of the 45 cases. All the specimens were obtained from the paratracheal lymph nodes by means of biopsy, 7 specimens from the right side and 3 from the left.
The surface of the lesions endoscopically looked bluish purple in 6 cases and light red in 4 cases. Adhesion to the surrounding tissues was minimum and the lesions were easily detached.
Based on the histopathological findings, sarcoidal granuloma were classified into two groups; fresh and old lesions. Namely, 5 were fresh, dense, nodal lesions consisting of epitheloid cells, and 4 were old, loose, nodal lesions with advanced hyaline fibrosis. The remaining 1 was between the two. Detection of asteroid bodies was rapid, while that of Scahumann bodies was not so readily facilitated.
