[Selective and routine use of mediastinoscopy for staging of bronchial cancer]

Because of low rate of mediastinal lymphnode metastases of lung cancer in patients who seem to be able to undergo operative treatment, in most clinics mediastinoscopy for preoperative assessment is only used selectively when lymphnodes were found by CT before. Even though most US- and Canadian clinics use mediastinoscopy staging preoperatively because of differing sensitivity in CT. Analysis of CT and mediastinoscopy will be made by a special computer-program. It is focused that in T1 and T2 lung cancer selective mediastinoscopy is in favour. In T3 and T4 cancer mediastinoscopy should still be routine in the evaluation of mediastinal nodes for preoperative assessment.