Abstract
Mediastinoscopy was first described by Carlens in the 1950s, and is now widely accepted as a useful surgical procedure to biopsy a mediastinal mass. It requires general anesthesia and the procedure is invasive. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography represent recent advances in diagnostic imaging but these procedures should not replace a biopsy. Equipment and techniques used in needle histopathological biopsy methods to investigate a mediastinal mass are continually improving, such as computed tomography-guided percutaneous biopsy and transbronchial biopsy using bronchofiberscopy, and these improvements may eventually supercede mediastinoscopy. However, only a limited amount of tissue is obtained by needle biopsy and repeated biopsies are sometimes necessary. Recently, video-assisted mediastinoscopy has been developed. One of the main advantages of this development is that all present in the operating room can view the images. This article reviews the use of video-assisted mediastinoscopy as an important and valuable diagnostic procedure to assess mediastinal mass.
