How Performed:

This procedure is done in the hospital. You will be given a general anesthesia. An incision is made in the chest after an endotracheal tube has been inserted. The mediastinoscope is inserted through the neck incision into the mid-part of the chest. Tissue samples are taken, usually of the lymph nodes. The scope is then withdrawn, and the incision is closed with stitches.

How To Prepare: You must sign an informed consent form. You will not be able to have food or fluid 8 hours before the test.

Infants and children:
The physical and psychological preparation you can provide for this or any test or procedure depends on your child’s age, interests, previous experience, and level of trust. For specific information regarding how you can prepare your child, see the following topics as they correspond to your child’s age:

• Infant test or procedure preparation (birth to 1 year)
• Toddler test or procedure preparation (1 to 3 years)
• Preschooler test or procedure preparation (3 to 6 years)
• Schoolage test or procedure preparation (6 to 12 years)
• Adolescent test or procedure preparation (12 to 18 years)

How It Feels: You will be asleep during the procedure. There will be some tenderness at the site of the incision afterward. You may have a sore throat after the test.

Risks:

There is a risk of puncture of the esophagus, trachea, or the blood vessels, which in some circumstances can lead to potentially fatal bleeding.

Why Performed:

This procedure is used in diagnosing a variety of diseases when other tests such as sputum cytology, lung scans, radiography, and bronchoscopic biopsies do not indicate a diagnosis. It is also used to assist in the staging of patients with lung cancer.

Normal Values: There are no abnormal lymph node tissues.

Abnormal Results: Abnormal findings may indicate lung cancer, tuberculosis, the spread of disease from one body part to another, sarcoidosis (a disease that causes nodules, usually affecting the lungs, lymphoma (abnormalities in the lymph tissues), and Hodgkin’s disease.

Cost:

Special Considerations: Not applicable.