Combining biopsy needle and virtual bronchoscopy for tuberculosis-induced complete bronchial blockage.

Endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) presents significant clinical challenges, particularly when complete bronchial obstruction occurs. In this case, a young woman with right main bronchus occlusion due to tuberculosis (TB) was treated using a novel approach. Instead of using a traditional rigid bronchoscope, a flexible approach was adopted. Under precise fluoroscopic guidance, a 21-gauge transbronchial aspiration needle was used to puncture the obstruction, allowing passage of the guidewire and subsequent balloon dilation. The use of virtual bronchoscopy, developed using computed tomography scans, ensures safe navigation around critical vascular structures. Postoperatively, the patient showed significant symptomatic improvement without complications. This innovative approach not only demonstrates the efficacy and safety of using biopsy needles and virtual bronchoscopy for managing complete bronchial obstructions in EBTB but also opens the door for future innovative solutions in such complex cases.

Prognosis of multi-level N2-positive non-small cell lung cancer according to lymph node staging using endobronchial ultrasound-transbronchial biopsy.

BACKGROUND: The optimal treatment for stage IIIA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains controversial, and multidisciplinary team approaches are needed. Downstaging after induction therapy is a good prognostic factor in surgical patients; however, re-evaluation of nodal status before surgery is challenging. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognosis of patients with multi-level N2 NSCLC who received surgery or chemoradiation therapy (CRT) according to restaging using endobronchial ultrasound-transbronchial aspiration (EBUS-TBNA). METHODS: This was a single center, prospective study that included 16 patients with biopsy-proven multi-level N2 disease on initial EBUS-TBNA that was restaged using EBUS-TBNA after induction therapy. Cases downstaged after rebiopsy were treated surgically. Three-year progression-free survival (PFS) and locoregional PFS were determined using Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS: Of the 16 patients (median age 58 years, male 63%), eight had persistent N2 disease and eight showed N2 clearance on restaging using EBUS-TBNA. Ten patients underwent surgery, including two patients without N2 clearance. Recurrence and locoregional recurrence occurred in eight and five patients, respectively. The three-year PFS was longer in patients with N2 clearance than in those with N2 persistent disease (57.1% vs. 37.5%). Patients with N2 clearance also had longer three-year locoregional PFS than those with N2 persistent disease (71.4% vs. 62.5%). CONCLUSIONS: EBUS-TBNA could be an effective diagnostic method for restaging in multi-level N2 NSCLC patients after induction CRT. As this was a pilot study, further large-scale randomized studies are needed.

Vintage meets contemporary: Use of rigid TBNA in the era of real-time imaging - first report from India.

In the modern era, real-time imaging-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) has completely replaced the traditional surgical approaches to sample the mediastinal lesions for diagnosis and cancer staging. However, there is a limited role of these innovations in the presence of critical airway narrowing due to a further decrease in cross-sectional area of the airway proportionate to the outer diameters of the scope. Rigid TBNA with airway control by rigid bronchoscopy is one alternative which can be used for mediastinal sampling when modern technique is impracticable. Herein, we report the use of rigid TBNA, an underutilized old method to sample the mediastinal lesion in a patient with severe orthopnea secondary to tracheal compression by mediastinal mass.

Eficacia del ultrasonido endobronquial con aspiración por aguja fina en el diagnóstico de lesiones hiliares y mediastinales / Efficacy of endobronchial ultrasound with fine needle aspiration in the diagnosis of hilar and mediastinal lesions

RESUMEN Introducción: El ultrasonido endobronquial lineal con aspiración transbronquial por aguja fina es una técnica novedosa para el diagnóstico de tumores y ganglios mediastínicos e hiliares. Objetivo: Evaluar la eficacia diagnóstica de ultrasonido endobronquial lineal con aspiración transbronquial por aguja fina como método de estudio de lesiones hiliares y mediastinales. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo con carácter prospectivo en 49 pacientes a los que se le realizó ultrasonido endobronquial lineal con aspiración transbronquial por aguja fina. Resultados: El diagnóstico se obtuvo mediante la histología y resultaron positivos 48 pacientes, de ellos 45 fueron positivos por el ultrasonido endobronquial lineal con aspiración transbronquial por aguja fina y 4 negativos por este estudio. El resultado global de la investigación mostró una sensibilidad de 93,8 %, especificidad 100 %, valor predictivo positivo de 100 % y predictivo negativo 25 %. De esta manera, el índice de validez de ultrasonido endobronquial lineal con aspiración transbronquial por aguja fina fue de 93,8 %. El número de complicaciones fue mínimo. Conclusiones: El ultrasonido endobronquial lineal con aspiración transbronquial por aguja fina constituye un método diagnóstico eficaz y seguro en el estudio de pacientes que presentan lesiones hiliares y mediastinales con alta sospecha de cáncer de pulmón y a su vez, una alternativa de acceder al mediastino de manera no cruenta para la estadificación ganglionar.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Linear endobronchial ultrasound with transbronchial fine needle aspiration is a novel technique for the diagnosis of tumors and mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes. Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of linear endobronchial ultrasound with transbronchial fine needle aspiration as a method of studying hila and mediastinal lesions. Methods: A prospective descriptive study was carried out in 49 patients who underwent linear endobronchial ultrasound with transbronchial fine needle aspiration. Results: The diagnosis was obtained by histology and 48 patients were positive, 45 of them resulted positive by linear endobronchial ultrasound with transbronchial fine needle aspiration and 4 resulted negative by this study. The overall result of the investigation showed a sensitivity of 93.8%, specificity 100%, a positive predictive value of 100% and a negative predictive value of 25%. Thus, the validity index of linear endobronchial ultrasound with transbronchial fine needle aspiration was 93.8%. The number of complications was minimal. Conclusions: Linear endobronchial ultrasound with transbronchial fine needle aspiration is an effective and safe diagnostic method in the study of patients with hilar and mediastinal lesions with high suspicion of lung cancer and, consecutively, it is an alternative to access the mediastinum in a non- invasive approach for lymph node staging.

Learning curve of conventional transbronchial needle aspiration.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Intrathoracic lymphadenopathy usually occurs as a result of neoplasm, granulomatous diseases, infections or reactive hyperplasia. Conventional transbronchial needle aspiration (C-TBNA) is a cheap and safe procedure for diagnosing intrathoracic lymphadenopathy. The aim of this study was to assess the learning curve and diagnostic accuracy of C-TBNA after an observational education programme. METHODS: In the present study, we retrospectively evaluated our first 62 C-TBNA procedures at Erciyes University between May 2012 and December 2012 after an observational education programme. The first 31 patients were defined as group A, and the second 31 patients as group B. RESULTS: One hundred and seven lymph nodes were sampled in 62 patients by C-TBNA. Adequate lymph node samples were obtained in 52 of the 62 patients (83.8%). In these 52 patients, two patients had a diagnosis of 'suspicious of malignancy' by C-TBNA, and these patients were excluded from the analysis. In the remaining 50 cases who had adequate results, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and diagnostic accuracy per patient were 80.6%, 92.9%, 96.7%, 65.0% and 84.0%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy rates of C-TBNA for Group A and B were 72.0% (18/25) and 96.0% (24/25), and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: C-TBNA is a useful diagnostic procedure for sampling intrathoracic lymphadenopathies and masses that are adjacent to the bronchial system. An observational education programme is helpful for learning C-TBNA. The diagnostic yield improves in time, and approximately 30 procedures may be sufficient to achieve successful results.

The contribution of cell blocks in the diagnosis of mediastinal masses and hilar adenopathy samples from echobronchoscopy.

BACKGROUND: Cell block material from puncture can be obtained with endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in many cases. The aim of this study was to analyse the value of additional information from cell blocks obtained with EBUS-TBNA samples from mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes and masses. METHODS: Review of pathology reports with a specific diagnosis obtained from EBUS-TBNA samples of mediastinal or hilar lesions, prospectively obtained over a two-year period. The generation of cell blocks from cytology needle samples, the contribution to morphological diagnosis, and the possible use of samples for immunohistochemistry were analysed. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-nine samples corresponding to 110 patients were reviewed. The diagnosis was lung cancer in 81% of cases, extrapulmonary carcinoma in 10%, sarcoidosis in 4%, lymphoma in 2.7%, and tuberculosis in 0.9%. Cell blocks could be obtained in 72% of cases. Immunohistochemistry studies on the cell blocks were significantly easier to perform than on conventional smears (52.6% vs. 14%, P<.0001). In 4cases, the cell block provided an exclusive morphological diagnosis (3sarcoidosis and one metastasis from prostatic carcinoma) and in 3carcinomas, subtype and origin could be identified. Exclusive diagnoses from the cell block were significantly more frequent in benign disease than in malignant disease (25% vs 0.9%, P=.002). CONCLUSIONS: Cell blocks were obtained from 72% of EBUS-TBNA diagnostic procedures. The main contributions of cell blocks to pathology examinations were the possibility of carrying out immunohistochemical staining for the better classification of neoplasms, especially extrapulmonary metastatic tumours, and the improved diagnosis of benign lesions.