DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IN DETECTION OF MEDIASTINAL LYMPHOMA TAKING HISTOPATHOLOGY AS GOLD STANDARD

Abstract

Objective: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography (CT) in detecting mediastinal lymphoma, with histopathology serving as the gold standard.

Methodology: This cross-sectional validation study was conducted on 136 patients suspected of mediastinal lymphoma who were presenting with symptoms such as night sweats, weight loss, and cervical swelling. Patients underwent CT scanning after intravenous contrast administration which was followed by histopathological examination. The CT scans were analyzed for mediastinal lymphoma while the histopathological findings served as the gold standard.

Results: Mean age was 38.34 ± 12.94 years while 80 (58.8%) patients were male. The CT showed sensitivity 77.63%, specificity 88.33% with positive predictive value 89.39%, and negative predictive value 75.71%. The diagnostic accuracy of CT in detecting mediastinal lymphoma was around 82.35%.

Conclusion: CT is a reliable imaging technique for the detection of mediastinal lymphoma with high specificity and diagnostic accuracy.