Mediastinoscopy is a procedure that enables visualization of the contents of the mediastinum, usually for the purpose of obtaining a biopsy.
[1] Mediastinoscopy is often used for staging of lymph nodes of lung cancer or for diagnosing other conditions affecting structures in the mediastinum such as sarcoidosis or lymphoma.
Mediastinoscopy involves making an incision approximately 1 cm above the suprasternal notch of the sternum, or breast bone.
However, with advances in minimally invasive procedures and imaging, mediastinoscopy usage has declined significantly from 2006 to 2010.
[citation needed] Parasternal mediastinotomy, aka, a Chamberlain procedure, is the standard approach to access lymph nodes at stations 5 and 6.