Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Bronchial Asthma: Joint Recommendations of National College of Chest Physicians (India) and Indian Chest Society.

Bronchial asthma is an important public health problem in India with significant morbidity. Several international guidelines for diagnosis and management of asthma are available, however there is a need for country-specific guidelines due to vast differences in availability and affordability of health-care facilities across the globe. The Indian Chest Society (ICS) and the National College of Chest Physicians (NCCP) of India have collaborated to develop evidence-based guidelines with an aim to assist physicians at all levels of health-care in diagnosis and management of asthma in a scientific manner. Besides a systematic review of the literature, Indian studies were specifically analysed to arrive at simple and practical recommendations. The evidence is presented under these five headings: (1) definitions, epidemiology and impact, (2) diagnosis, (3) pharmacologic management of stable disease, (4) management of acute exacerbations, and (5) non-pharmacologic management and special situations. The modified grade system was used for classifying the quality of evidence as 1, 2, 3, or usual practice point (UPP). The strength of recommendation was graded as A or B depending upon the level of evidence.

Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided Mediastinal Lymph Nodal Cryobiopsy in Patients With Nondiagnostic/Inadequate Rapid On-site Evaluation: A New Step in the Diagnostic Algorithm.

BACKGROUND: Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is considered the investigation of choice for sampling mediastinal nodes. A major drawback of EBUS-TBNA is its lower diagnostic yield for lymphoma and benign diseases. EBUS-guided mediastinal cryobiopsy (EBUS-MCB) is a novel technique that provides larger nodal biopsy samples, with an acceptable safety profile. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic yield of EBUS-MCB in patients with an inconclusive rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE). METHODS: This is a prospective study of patients who underwent EBUS-TBNA for undiagnosed mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Patients in whom ROSE did not yield a diagnosis (nondiagnostic ROSE) or ROSE revealed scanty atypical cells (inadequate ROSE) were subjected to EBUS-MCB. The diagnostic yield, adequacy, and complications of EBUS-MCB were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 196 patients undergoing EBUS-TBNA, 46 patients underwent EBUS-MCB. Thirty-two cases underwent EBUS-MCB for a nondiagnostic ROSE. EBUS-MCB confirmed the diagnosis in 19/32 (59.3%) cases. The additive diagnostic yield of EBUS-MCB over EBUS-TBNA was 43.7% (14/32 cases). In all 14 cases where EBUS-MCB was performed for an inadequate ROSE, the material obtained by EBUS-MCB was adequate for ancillary studies. The most common complication observed was a minor bleed in 13 cases. CONCLUSION: EBUS-MCB has a diagnostic yield of 59.3% when performed in cases with a nondiagnostic EBUS-ROSE. The tissue obtained by EBUS-MCB is adequate for ancillary studies. We propose EBUS-MCB as an additional diagnostic step in cases with an inconclusive ROSE while performing EBUS-TBNA. Larger studies are, however, needed before EBUS-MCB can be incorporated in the diagnostic algorithm for the evaluation of mediastinal lesions.

Endovascular glue embolization for control of massive hemoptysis caused by peripheral pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysms: Report of 7 cases.

PURPOSE: Pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysms are a rare cause of massive hemoptysis and need to be considered as a differential with prompt recognition preventing mortality from life-threatening hemorrhage. We report the clinical details and imaging findings for a series of patients presenting with massive haemoptysis due to peripheral pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm, managed by endovascular glue embolization. METHODS: Hospital based retrospective study wherein records and image database of patients presenting with massive hemoptysis between January 2014 and March 2016 were studied. The immediate technical success, reintervention rate, and recurrence of massive hemoptysis were recorded. RESULTS: Among patients with massive hemoptysis who underwent endovascular management in our department, seven patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The mean age was 54.3 years; mean lesion diameter was 10.8 mm (range 6-14 mm); underlying pathology being infective (tuberculosis) in all cases (n = 7). All lesions were treated with endovascular glue embolization. The technical success was 100%. Mean follow-up was 11.7 months. There was no case of recurrence of massive hemoptysis. There were no major complications with a single case of minor complication (in the form of chest pain and discomfort) which resolved with medical management. CONCLUSION: The endovascular approach using glue (N-butyl cyanoacrylate) is a minimally invasive and technically feasible, effective technique for emergent management of pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysms presenting as massive hemoptysis.

Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided Aspiration of an Endotracheal Bronchogenic Cyst: Case Report and Systematic Review of the Literature.

The most common location of bronchogenic cysts is the mediastinum, adjacent to the major airways. Endotracheal bronchogenic cysts are rare and most present in infancy with respiratory failure. Although surgical resection has remained the treatment of choice, there is increasing interest in the management of these cysts with therapeutic aspiration alone. In this article, we describe a 68-year-old man with endotracheal bronchogenic cyst who was managed with endobronchial ultrasound-guided needle aspiration. We also systematically review the literature for reports of endotracheal bronchogenic cysts. The review identified 9 reports (10 patients) with endotracheal bronchogenic cysts. The most common age at presentation was infancy (n=8) and surgical resection was the most common treatment modality used (n=7).

Efficacy and Safety of Transbronchial Needle Aspiration in Diagnosis and Treatment of Mediastinal Bronchogenic Cysts: Systematic Review of Case Reports.

BACKGROUND: Although surgical resection of mediastinal bronchogenic cysts is considered the treatment of choice, there is increasing interest in minimally invasive approaches of management. The purpose of this study was to review the literature on the role of transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA), either conventional or endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)-guided, in the diagnosis and management of bronchogenic cysts. METHODS: We systematically searched the PubMed and EmBase databases for studies (until July 2014) reporting TBNA of bronchogenic cysts. Data were recorded on a standard data extraction form and is presented in a descriptive manner. RESULTS: Our search yielded 26 studies (32 patients). The median age of the patients was 43 years. Most were men (n=15), symptomatic at presentation (n=19), and had cysts in the paratracheal location (n=14). Endosonography was performed on 16 patients. The EBUS appearance of the lesion was hypoechoic and anechoic in 11 and 5 patients, respectively. Thirty-one patients underwent TBNA (conventional: 16; EBUS-guided: 15). The intent of TBNA was therapeutic in 19 patients and diagnostic or symptomatic palliation in the others. Complications were reported in 5 (16.1%) patients [infective (n=4), bradycardia (n=1)] after TBNA; there were no deaths. The median duration of follow-up was 14 months and no recurrences were detected during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Bronchoscopy is a useful tool in the diagnosis of bronchogenic cysts, both for confirmation of the cystic nature of the lesion by EBUS and diagnosis by TBNA (preferably EBUS-guided) of the cyst fluid. Therapeutic aspiration of the cyst may be an alternative to surgery in adults with mediastinal bronchogenic cysts.

Role of medical thoracoscopy and closed-blind pleural biopsy in undiagnosed exudative pleural effusions: a single-center experience of 348 patients.

BACKGROUND: Medical thoracoscopy (MT) performed either with rigid or the semirigid thoracoscope has been shown to have diagnostic accuracy superior to closed-blind pleural biopsy (CBPB) in exudative pleural effusions (EPE), which remain undiagnosed after thoracentesis. However, in resource-constrained settings, CBPB continues to be performed. In this study, we compare the outcome of thoracoscopy with CBPB. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of data collected over a 10-year period (2004 to 2014) of patients who underwent pleural biopsy for the evaluation of undiagnosed EPE. We report the comparative procedural yield and safety of CBPB and MT. RESULTS: During the study period, 84 and 264 patients (mean age, 49.8 y) underwent CBPB and MT, respectively. No clinical or radiologic finding could predict the correct histologic diagnosis with reasonable certainty in patients with undiagnosed EPE. The procedural yield of MT was significantly higher than CBPB (93.2% vs. 84.5%, P=0.02). The yield of MT significantly improved when chest ultrasound was used to guide the choice and point of entry of the thoracoscope (98.7% vs. 90.6%, P=0.04). Thoracoscopy was associated with mortality and complication rates of 0.37% and 5.6%, respectively, whereas the complication rate with CBPB was 8.3% with no mortality. CONCLUSIONS: MT is the procedure of choice in the evaluation of undiagnosed EPE, due to its higher success rate and an acceptable safety profile. However, in centers where thoracoscopy is not feasible, CBPB should be performed in preference to initiating empiric treatment.

Reversed halo sign: a systematic review.

A reversed halo sign (RHS) is defined as the presence of a focal ring-shaped area of ground-glass opacity within a peripheral rim of consolidation. Although originally described in patients with cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, it has been described with several other noninfectious and infectious diseases, including fungal infections. Thus, it is imperative that a proper diagnosis be established before initiating treatment. In this article, we systematically review the literature (PubMed and Embase) for the associations of the RHS. We have also proposed a diagnostic algorithm for an approach to a patient with an RHS.