Thoracoscopy as the Method of Choice in Diagnosis of Mediastinal Lymphadenopathy

Aims: Determining the role of minimally invasive surgery in elucidating and differential diagnosis of patients with mediastinal lymphadenopathy.

Place and Duration of Study: The research was carried out in the National Cancer Research Center, MoH RUz in the period of 2001-2015.

Methodology and Study Design: Results of 45 diagnostic video assisted thoracoscopic operations in lymphadenopathy of mediastinum were retrospectively studied. Men were 17 (37.8%), women were 28 (62.2%). The age of patients ranged from 12 to 62 years, the median age was 38,46±12,1 years. Adequate material for the morphological study obtained in 100% of cases.

Results: In histological examination malignant lymphoma was diagnosed in 23 (51%), mediastinal form of lung cancer in 3 (6.6%), tuberculosis of intrathoracic lymph nodes in 11 (24.4%), sarcoidosis in 8 (17.7%) cases. The mean operative time was 22.9±12,3 min. Narcotic pain medications were not used. No deaths were observed after the procedure.

Conclusion: Videothoracoscopy showed high effectiveness and informativeness in the diagnosis of lymphoproliferative diseases of the mediastinum.