Abstract / Summary
Purpose: Mediastinal masses are rare and challenging to diagnose, especially in asymptomatic patients, where they are often detected incidentally through radiological evaluations. This study aims to evaluate the correlation between the increased use of thoracic computed tomography (CT) during the COVID-19 pandemic and the detection rate of mediastinal masses.Materials and methods: Thoracic CT scans performed at Pamukkale University Faculty of Medicine Hospital between 2010 and 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients diagnosed with mediastinal masses and those referred for surgery during this period were evaluated. Data were grouped into three-year intervals, and the diagnostic rates of mediastinal masses and surgical approaches were compared. The study was conducted with the approval of the relevant ethics committee.Results: Patients and tomography amount were arranged 3 years period. When analyzed in three-year periods, a significant increase in thoracic CT scans was observed during the last two years of the pandemic. This increase was associated with a higher detection rate of asymptomatic mediastinal masses, leading to a rise in surgical interventions. Additionally, the widespread adoption of minimally invasive techniques, particularly video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, resulted in a significant decline in conventional approaches such as sternotomy and thoracotomy over the past six years.Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that the increased utilization of thoracic CT during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly enhanced the detection rate of asymptomatic mediastinal masses and led to a higher number of patients undergoing surgical intervention. This finding emphasizes the pivotal role of incidental imaging in the early identification of clinically silent lesions. The COVID-19 pandemic served as a unique opportunity for detecting conditions like mediastinal tumors, which lack standardized screening programs.