[Advances in diagnosis of pulmonary sarcoidosis]

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease that primarily affects the lung and lymphatic systems of the body. The diagnosis of sarcoidosis is established on the basis of compatible clinical and radiologic findings, supported by histologic evidence in one or more organs of noncaseating epithelioid-cell granulomas. A diagnosis of sarcoidosis is reasonably certain without biopsy in patients who present with Löfgren's syndrome. In confirmation of sarcoidosis scale lymph node biopsy, endobronchial biopsy, mediastinoscopy, blind tranbronchial needle aspiration and transbronchial lung biopsy or broncho-alveolar lavage were used with diagnostic yields between 60-85%. At present in stage I and II of sarcoidosis the novel technics such as Endoscopic ultrasound-guided, fine-needle aspiration of intrathoracic lymph nodes (EBUS-FNA) and esophageal ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) are performed. The combination of these two methods has been reported to provide a diagnostic yield of above 83-90% with about 100% specificity and may obviate the need for mediastinoscopy.