Cervical mediastinoscopy: re-evaluation of an old technique in era of new imaging technology.

CONTEXT With the advent of modern anatomical and functional imaging technologies, application of cervical mediastinoscopy has decreased in diagnosis and staging of mediastinal diseases. AIM To evaluate the usefulness of cervical mediastinoscopy in assessing the mediastinal disease when imaging modalities are non-diagnostic. SETTINGS AND DESIGN Retrospective analysis of records of a tertiary care hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS Thirty-nine patients with mediastinal pathology of varied aetiologies underwent cervical mediastinoscopy. Pre- and post-operative diagnosis was compared. RESULTS In 34 out of 39 cases (87.5%), cervical mediastinoscopy provided a confirmatory final diagnosis. One case had a major complication in the form of recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy. CONCLUSION Cervical mediastinoscopy is useful, minimally invasive modality in a scenario where anatomical and functional imaging tools are non-diagnostic.