Novel Robotic-Assisted Cryobiopsy for Peripheral Pulmonary Lesions.

PURPOSE: Tissue acquisition in lung cancer is vital for multiple reasons. Primary reasons reported for molecular testing failure in lung cancer biopsy specimens include insufficient amount of tumor cells provided and inadequate tissue quality. Robotic bronchoscopy is a new tool enabling peripheral pulmonary lesion sampling; however, diagnostic yield remains imperfect possibly due to the location of nodules adjacent to or outside of the airway. The 1.1-mm cryoprobe is a novel diagnostic tool and accesses tissue in a 360-degree manner, thus potentially sampling eccentric/adjacent lesions. This study examines the diagnostic yield of the cryoprobe compared to standard needle aspiration and forceps biopsy. It additionally evaluates yield for molecular markers in cases of lung cancer. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of 112 patients with 120 peripheral pulmonary lesions biopsied via robotic bronchoscopy using needle aspirate, forceps, and cryobiopsy. RESULTS: The overall diagnostic yield was 90%. Nearly 18% of diagnoses were made exclusively from the cryobiopsy sample. Molecular analysis was adequate on all cryobiopsy samples sent. Digital imaging software confirmed an increase in quantity and quality of samples taken via cryobiopsy compared to needle aspirate and traditional forceps biopsy. CONCLUSION: Using the 1.1-mm cryoprobe to biopsy PPN combined with the Ion robotic bronchoscopy system is safe, feasible, and provides more diagnostic tissue than needle aspirates or traditional forceps biopsies. The combination of cryobiopsy with robotic-assisted bronchoscopy increased diagnostic yield, likely due to its 360-degree tissue acquisition which is beneficial when targeting extraluminal lesions adjacent to the airway.

Predictors of Invasiveness in Adenocarcinoma of Lung with Lepidic Growth Pattern.

Lung adenocarcinoma with lepidic growth pattern (LPA) is characterized by tumor cell proliferation along intact alveolar walls, and further classified as adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS), minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) and invasive lepidic predominant adenocarcinoma (iLPA). Accurate diagnosis of lepidic lesions is critical for appropriate prognostication and management as five-year survival in patients with iLPA is lower than in those with AIS and MIA. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy of CT-guided core needle lung biopsy classifying LPA lesions and identify clinical and radiologic predictors of invasive disease in biopsied lesions. Thirty-four cases of adenocarcinoma with non-invasive lepidic growth pattern on core biopsy pathology that subsequently were resected between 2011 and 2018 were identified. Invasive LPA vs. non-invasive LPA (AIS or MIA) was defined based on explant pathology. Histopathology of core biopsy and resected tumor specimens was compared for concordance, and clinical, radiologic and pathologic variables were analyzed to assess for correlation with invasive disease. The majority of explanted tumors (70.6%) revealed invasive disease. Asian race (p = 0.03), history of extrathoracic malignancy (p = 0.02) and absence of smoking history (p = 0.03) were associated with invasive disease. CT-measured tumor size was not associated with invasiveness (p = 0.15). CT appearance of density (p = 0.61), shape (p = 0.78), and margin (p = 0.24) did not demonstrate a significant difference between the two subgroups. Invasiveness of tumors with lepidic growth patterns can be underestimated on transthoracic core needle biopsies. Asian race, absence of smoking, and history of extrathoracic malignancy were associated with invasive disease.

Transbronchial Lung Cryobiopsy for Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Disease.

Transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC) offers a minimally invasive option for the diagnosis of diffuse parenchymal lung diseases, of which interstitial lung diseases comprise the most common diagnoses. It has a high diagnostic yield with prognostic and therapeutic implications. TBLC has a favorable safety profile compared with surgical lung biopsy, but associated complications include pneumothorax and bleeding. However, TBLC techniques remain variable. Here we review the latest techniques described to maximize diagnostic yield and mitigate complications of TBLC as well as how this modality has been incorporated into guidelines.

The safety profile of a protocolized transbronchial cryobiopsy program utilizing a 2.4 mm cryoprobe for interstitial lung disease.

INTRODUCTION: Transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC) has emerged as a promising alternative to surgical lung biopsy for the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease. However, uncertainty remains regarding its overall complications due to a lack of procedural standardization including the size of cryoprobe utilized. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study of a protocolized transbronchial cryobiopsy program utilizing a 2.4 mm cryoprobe. 201 consecutive subjects were enrolled at a single academic center. RESULTS: The average biopsy size was 106.2 ± 39.3 mm2. Complications included a total pneumothorax rate of 4.9% with 3.5% undergoing chest tube placement. Severe bleeding defined by the Nashville Working Group occurred in 0.5% of cases. There were no deaths at 30-days. DISCUSSION: A protocolized transbronchial cryobiopsy program utilizing a 2.4 mm cryoprobe in can achieve a high diagnostic yield with a favorable safety profile.

Pre-Procedural COVID-19 Nasopharyngeal Swab Has Good Concordance with Bronchoalveolar Lavage in Patients at Low Risk for Viral Infection.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has drastically affected hospital and operating room (OR) workflow around the world as well as trainee education. Many institutions have instituted mandatory preoperative SARS-CoV-2 PCR nasopharyngeal swab (NS) testing in patients who are low risk for COVID-19 prior to elective cases. This method, however, is challenging as the sensitivity, specificity, and overall reliability of testing remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess the concordance of a negative NS in low risk preoperative patients with lower airway bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens obtained from the same patients. METHODS: We prospectively sent intraoperative lower airway BAL samples collected within 48 h of a negative mandatory preoperative NS for SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing. All adult patients undergoing a scheduled bronchoscopic procedure for any reason were enrolled, including elective and nonelective cases. RESULTS: One-hundred eighty-nine patients were included. All BAL specimens were negative for SARS-CoV-2 indicative of 100% concordance between testing modalities. CONCLUSIONS: These results are promising and suggest that preoperative nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 testing provides adequate screening to rule out active COVID-19 infection prior to OR cases in a population characterized as low risk by negative symptom screening. This information can be used for both pre-procedural screening and when reintroducing trainees into the workforce.

Molecular Testing on Pleural Fluid Samples.

Pleural effusions are a common manifestation of both malignant and nonmalignant diseases. The sampling of pleural fluid helps categorize effusions as transudative or exudative and helps differentiate paramalignant from malignant disease. Accurate pleural fluid analysis is critical to the appropriate staging of cancers with significant prognostic and treatment implications. However, the etiology of pleural effusions remains unclear in a significant number of cases after routine thoracentesis and pleural fluid analysis. For malignant pleural effusions, cytologic evaluation of pleural fluid has a relatively low sensitivity. We describe the evolving field of molecular pleural fluid analysis in the setting of malignant disease as an active area of investigation with both diagnostic and therapeutic implications.

Comparison of Sample Adequacy and Diagnostic Yield of 19- and 22-G EBUS-TBNA Needles.

BACKGROUND: The 2016 CHEST consensus guidelines recommend use of either 21- or 22-G needles for endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA). We decided to prospectively compare sample adequacy and diagnostic yield of the 19-G with the 22-G EBUS needle, hypothesizing that a larger gauge difference might magnify the differences between 2 needle sizes. METHODS: Twenty-seven patients undergoing EBUS-TBNA at our institution were evaluated. All cases were performed by a single operator formally trained in interventional pulmonology. Both Olympus 19- and 22-G needles were used at each lymph node station in an alternating manner. Rapid on-site cytology evaluation was used and a separate cell block was prepared for each needle at each station. RESULTS: Fifty-six lymph nodes were analyzed. Diagnoses included cancer (36%, including 1 lymphoma), reactive lymphoid tissue (53%), and sarcoidosis (11%). One hundred sixty-two and 163 passes were made with the 22- and 19-G needle, respectively. Sample adequacy was 73% and 46% with the 22 and 19-G needle, respectively (P<0.001). Significantly fewer passes were bloody with the 22-G compared with the 19-G needle (19% vs. 59%; P<0.001). Diagnostic yield was not different between the 22- and 19-G needles (95% vs. 93%; P=0.62). CONCLUSION: In addition to no difference in diagnostic yield, the 19-G needle yielded samples that were frequently less adequate and more often bloody compared with the 22-G needle. Despite the larger caliber lumen, we conclude that the 19-G needle does not confer a diagnostic advantage.

Complications and Yield of Computed Tomography-Guided Transthoracic Core Needle Biopsy of Lung Nodules at a High-Volume Academic Center in an Endemic Coccidioidomycosis Area.

PURPOSE: Previous studies with small sample sizes have shown a wide range of complication rates and no study has investigated the yield of computed tomography-guided transthoracic core needle biopsies (CTTCB) for coccidioidomycosis. To better assess the safety, accuracy, and risk factors for complications of CTTCB of pulmonary nodules, we conducted a retrospective study at a high-volume academic center in an endemic coccidioidomycosis area. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 203 patients who underwent CTTCB of pulmonary nodules between December 2010 and May 2013. We collected demographics, clinical, and radiographic data. Each case was reviewed for complications. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed by comparing CTTCB with final diagnoses. RESULTS: The overall complication rate was 25 %. Pneumothorax accounted for 24 % of complications with 7 % of pneumothoraces requiring chest tube. 1.5 % were complicated by hemoptysis but none required blood transfusions. There was an association between complications and age, presence of emphysema on CT, traversed lung length, and lesion depth. The overall sensitivity of the CTTCB for all types of lung cancer was 93 %, and specificity of 100 %. The positive predictive value of CTTCB for lung cancer was 100 %. The sensitivity and specificity of CTTCB for a coccidiomycosis lung nodule was 83 % with a specificity of 100 % with a PPV of 100 %. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that CTTCB is a relatively safe method for evaluating lung nodules and highly accurate in evaluating lung nodules due to coccidioidomycosis in an endemic area. The primary risk factors for complications from CTTCB are the presence of emphysema on CT scan, lesion depth, and traversed lung length.

Type III secretion-dependent modulation of innate immunity as one of multiple factors regulated by Pseudomonas aeruginosa RetS.

Mutation of retS (rtsM) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PA103 reduces its virulence in both ocular and respiratory murine models of infection. In vitro, retS mutants exhibit loss of the ExsA-regulated type III secretion system (TTSS), reduced twitching motility, and a decrease in association with, invasion of, and survival within corneal epithelial cells. In addition, transcription of multiple other virulence genes is positively and negatively affected by retS mutation. Since our published data show that ExoU and ExoT, the two TTSS effectors encoded by strain PA103, each confer virulence in this corneal model, we hypothesized that loss of virulence of retS mutants follows loss of type III secretion. Corneal pathology, bacterial colonization, and phagocyte infiltration were compared for wild-type PA103, retS mutants, and various TTSS mutants after infection with approximately 10(6) CFU bacteria. Results showed that either a retS or an exsA (TTSS) mutation delayed disease progression, as illustrated by reduced severity scores and colonization levels during the first 48 h postinfection. Surprisingly, retS mutant infections then became more severe than those involving exsA mutants. By day 7, colonization levels of retS mutants even surpassed those of wild-type bacteria (more than twofold, P = 0.028). Although retS mutants caused more severe opacification of central corneas than both the wild type and the exsA mutants, neither mutant caused the peripheral ring opacity commonly associated with wild-type infection, suggesting that the TTSS was involved. Histological experiments with retS and various TTSS mutants showed that ring opacification required ExoU but not ExoT and that it consisted of dense polymorphonuclear phagocyte infiltration at the corneal periphery and the absence of any cell type in the central cornea. These data suggest that these P. aeruginosa TTSS effectors have different effects on innate immunity and that RetS influences virulence beyond its effects on the TTSS.