Fine needle aspiration biopsy in the diagnosis of mediastinal lesions.

In the presence of a mediastinal mass, fine needle aspiration biopsy is an alternative to other time-consuming and expensive diagnostic procedures. We have performed a total of 25 fine needle aspiration biopsies of mediastinal lesions in 18 patients. Although our material is too limited to reach definite conclusions as to risks, we have found the technique enables a high percentage of positive diagnoses and is well tolerated by the patient.