Endoscopic Ultrasound: Indian Perspective.
Mediastinoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that allows visualization and tissue sampling of mediastinal nodes. Mediastinoscopy has been extremely valuable in the evaluation and staging of lung cancer and therefore has been considered the gold standard for this purpose for over 30 years. Historically, this procedure has been associated with a low morbidity and mortality and a high sensitivity for diagnosing lung cancer with certain procedural limitations. Recently, it has been reported that not only is mediastinoscopy use limited in community practice, concomitant biopsy rates are limited as well.1 While mediastinoscopy does provide a tissue diagnosis, the procedure has its limitations. Cervical mediastinoscopy allows access to nodal stations 2, 3, 4 and 7, leaving out commonly involved pulmonary ligament and aortopulmonary window nodes.1 It requires general anesthesia and has a morbidity of 1% and a mortality of 0.2%. The procedure adds considerable expense to the staging workup. The estimated current cost is $1,700 for the procedure alone and $7,500 for a mediastinoscopy with a 2-day hospital stay. This prompted the development of endobronchial ultrasound(EBUS) in the 1990s.2.
Asst. Hon. and In-Charge, Dept. of Chest and TB, Dr. R. N. Cooper Municipal General Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Agam
A
Vora