Background Evaluation of mediastinal lymph nodes is of paramount importance for accurate staging in lung cancer and often dictates optimal treatment. Mediastinoscopy is considered the “gold standard” for sampling lymph nodes, but it is an invasive, costly technique that requires general anesthesia. Newer staging techniques have emerged. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspi...

We describe a previously healthy young man who presented with headaches, diplopia with right lateral gaze palsy, dysphagia, and hoarseness over a 2-month period. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed a small enhancing mass at the prepontine cistern and chest CT showed a left mediastinal mass. Mediastinoscopy and lymph node biopsy were performed. DNA probe and culture of the biopsy sp...

A 47-year-old man was referred for assessment of bilateral lymph node enlargement identified on a routine chest radiograph. Positron emission tomography showed high standardized uptake values (SUVmax: 20.5) in right supraclavicular, right intercostal, and multiple mediastinal lymph nodes. Biopsy samples obtained from the right upper and left lower paratracheal nodes by mediastinoscopy revealed ...

as evidenced by the very low levels of antibody found in our patients. In our study, no overlap in optical density values were seen between sarcoidosis and tuberculosis, but in a larger series overlap will probably be seen. While it is not yet possible to discriminate between tuberculosis and other diseases with complete reliability, we would proceed to invasive modalities (transbronchial lung ...

Advances in molecular biology are improving the understanding of lung cancer and changing the approach to treatment. A satisfactory biopsy that allows for histologic characterization and mutation analysis is becoming increasingly important. Most patients with lung cancer are diagnosed at an advanced stage, and diagnosis is often based on a small biopsy or cytology specimen. Here, we review the ...