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.