Real-time endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial needle aspiration for sampling mediastinal lymph nodes

Transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) is an established method for sampling mediastinal lymph nodes to aid in diagnosing lymphadenopathy and in staging lung cancers. Real-time endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) guidance is a new method of TBNA that may increase the ability to sample these nodes and hence to determine a diagnosis. A descriptive study was conducted to test this new method.

Consecutive patients referred for TBNA of mediastinal lymph nodes were included in the trial. When a node was detected, a puncture was performed under real-time ultrasound control. The primary end point was the number of successful biopsy specimens. Diagnostic results from the biopsies were compared with operative findings. Lymph node stations were classified according to the recently adopted American Thoracic Society scheme.

From 502 patients (316 men) of mean age 59 years (range 24-82), 572 lymph nodes were punctured and 535 (94%) resulted in a diagnosis. Biopsy specimens were taken from lymph nodes in region 2L (40 nodes), 2R (53 nodes), 3 (35 nodes), 4R (86 nodes), 4L (77 nodes), 7 (127 nodes), 10R (38 nodes), 10L (43 nodes), 11R (40 nodes) and 11L (33 nodes). The mean (SD) diameter of the nodes was 1.6 (0.36) cm and the range was 0.8-3.2 cm (SD range 0.8-4.3). Sensitivity was 94%, specificity 100%, and the positive predictive value was 100% calculated per patient. No complications occurred.

EBUS-TBNA is a promising new method for sampling mediastinal lymph nodes. It appears to permit more and smaller nodes to be sampled than conventional TBNA, and it is safe.