Experience with the Artronix Torso-Cat-Scanner in the examination of the thorax, particularly the mediastinum: comparison with mediastinoscopy and operation.

In order to ascertain the diagnostic value of computed tomography (CT) of the thorax, the reports of the CT investigations of the thorax, carried out over a 2-year period, were compared with the actual final diagnosis. This study was narrowed down to those patients on whom a mediastinoscopy and/or an operation was performed. There appears to be a good correlation between the CT findings and the mediastinoscopy if no tumor or metastases are present in the mediastinum. This means that, where the CT scan shows a patient to have a normal mediastinum, it is not necessary to perform mediastinoscopy as a preoperative diagnostic aid.