[Mediastinoscopy in ambulatory surgery: nine years' experience]

Ambulatory facilities are being used more and more for various diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. We report 183 consecutive mediastinoscopies and/or anterior mediastinotomies performed in an ambulatory setting from July 1981 to January 1991. There were 140 patients with a neoplasia: 131 bronchogenic carcinomas, 5 lymphomas, 2 carcinoid tumors, 1 teratocarcinoma, 1 carcinoma of the stomach. Forty-three patients had a benign condition, including 32 sarcoidosis and 11 miscellaneous diseases. Twenty-eight (15%) patients were admitted the same day: 12 for elective surgery in view of bed availability, 9 for medical observation, and 7 required overnight admission for non-medical reasons. Eight non-fatal complications were encountered: hemoptysis (2), atrial fibrillation (1), pneumonia (1), mediastinal self-contained bleed (1), tear of a pulmonary artery (1), temporary palsy of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (1) and wound infection (1). There was no operative mortality. Overall, ambulatory mediastinoscopy and anterior mediastinotomy permitted a diagnosis in 58 patients (29%), and confirmed unresectable malignant disease in 36 patients, thus sparing unnecessary admission to a surgical ward in 89 (49%) of the 183 patients. Mediastinoscopy and anterior mediastinotomy are safe in an ambulatory setting and alleviate the need for hospitalization in a substantial number of patients.