Chest X-ray and CT-scan of the Chest
The first thing your doctor does to diagnose a mediastinal tumour is chest radiographs (posteroanterior and lateral). The chest radiograph also determines the tumour’s location (anterior, middle, and posterior). In most cases, the tumour is discovered during a test for an unrelated medical condition. Doctors can also learn it during tests on people who manifest symptoms of mediastinum tumour or paraneoplastic syndromes. It would help to know that there will always be symptoms to show the presence of tumours. Also, radiography is not 100% efficient at diagnosing mediastinal cancers.
CT scan of the chest is done to determine the composition of the tumour seen through a chest x-ray. The scan is also used to know the location of the mass, the shape of the tumour and if it is pushing against nearby tissues. It also helps to evaluate the effect of the tumour on calcium, fat, fluid, soft tissue and blood vessels. After the CT scan, no other tests may be required. In many cases, no further workup is needed for diagnosis. This test is practical because it uses high-quality, multiplanar reformation images to show the exact location of the mass and its effects on surrounding organs.