An assessment of the separation of mediastinal lymph nodes by preoperative mediastinoscopic examination as a dissecting measure in the surgical treatment of lung cancer]

The availability of the separation of mediastinal lymph nodes by preoperative mediastinoscopic examination as a dissecting measure was analyzed according to prognosis retrospectively because mediastinal lymph nodes dissection is made with ease and certainty after the examination. The separation by mediastinoscopic examination did not have an impact on the mediastinal lymph nodes dissection for carcinoma of the left lung and superior mediastinal lymph nodes metastases (# 1-4), but an influence on the dissection for carcinoma of the right lung and middle and lower mediastinal lymph nodes metastases (# 5-9). This result showed the existence of occult metastases and the good effects caused by the separation of mediastinal lymph nodes. In the histological type, the effects were present in squamous cell carcinoma and p-N0 adenocarcinoma, but it was concluded that the prognosis in adenocarcinoma was associated with other factors rather than lymph node metastasis. Therefore, it can be seen that the separation of mediastinal lymph nodes by preoperative mediastinoscopic examination is available as a dissecting measure.