There will be no discomfort throughout the operation. When you're unconscious, the doctor will insert a flexible tube into your mouth and guide it into your lungs to assist you in breathing. After that, the surgeon will create an incision at the base of your throat and insert the mediastinoscope into the space between your lungs. They will then view the tissue through the lens on the end of this instrument. Some patients may experience pain from this examination, which is usually done as part of a larger procedure to find out if there are any cancer cells present in the lymph nodes under consideration. However, this test does not involve removing any tissue samples. Patients can go home the same day as their operation. Mediastinoscopies have many uses for patients. If cancer is found in the tissue viewed during the test, more accurate staging will allow for better treatment planning. Mediastinoscopies can also help rule out other conditions that may appear similar on imaging studies or when you come into the office for an appointment. These include but are not limited to: tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, histoplasmosis, eosinophilic pneumonia, and fungal infections like aspergillosis. Finally, a mediastinoscopy can show areas of disease that may not be apparent on other tests.