Diagnosis of mediastinal masses and principles of surgical tactics and technique for their treatment.

The diagnosis of a mediastinal mass is first based on clinical features, supplemented by epidemiological data and laboratory results providing information on the nature and localization of the mass. The diagnosis is then defined further on the basis of imaging studies. The first examinations required are standard radiographs, ultrasound scan or computed tomography scan and occasionally magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), angiography, and scintigraphy. These studies are followed by a thoracoscopy, mediastinoscopy, and the necessary biopsy techniques. Finally, the author describes the general principles of surgical tactics and techniques that generally lead to a total regression of the disease.