Diagnostic Accuracy of Computed Tomography Scan in Mediastinal Masses

Introduction: Mediastinal lesions include a wide spectrum of pathology, ranging from tumors (benign and malignant), cysts, vascular anomalies, and lymph node masses to diffuse lesions such as pneumomediastinum, mediastinitis, mediastinal fibrosis and encysted pleural effusion. Aims and objectives: The basic aim of the study is to analyse the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography scan in mediastinal masses assuming histopathological findings as gold standard. Material and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore from October 2019 to April 2020. After taking informed consent, computed Tomography was performed on Toshiba Aquilion Multislice CT scanner before and after intravenous contrast administration. Results: Age range in this study was from 25-65 years with mean age of 48.57 ± 10.53 years. Majority of the patients 58.78% were between 46-65 years of age as shown in Table 1. Out of these 148 patients, 82 (55.41%) were males and 66 (44.59%) were females with ratio of 1.2:1. Mean duration of disease was 8.39 ± 4.78 months (Table 2). Mean size of mass was 5.21 ± 2.45 cm. Conclusion: It is concluded that computed tomography is a highly sensitive and accurate non-invasive modality for differentiating malignant and benign mediastinal masses, and has not only dramatically improved our ability of accurate diagnosis of mediastinal masses but also improved patient care by timely and proper treatment.