Respiratory Disturbance due to Mediastinal Tumor

Respiratory disturbance related to mediastinal tumor was studied in 17 tumor cases in this region. Varying degree of dyspnea was present in 9 cases and 2 of them were in moderate respiratory difficulty. It seems that most of anterior mediastinal tumor produces respiratory disturbance while middle and posterior mediastinal tumors were often free of airway trouble. Symptoms were parallel to the size of the tumor only in the anterior group. The same applies to the bronchoscopic findings. 6 out of 9 cases showed difference of both lung function as seen in the bronchospirometry. One case, a small neurofibroma of the mediastinum originating from intercostal nerve showed distince difference between both lungs.