[Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS) - an Update 2017].

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Medical Imaging
• Oncology

Background:

• Pulmonary diseases often require invasive diagnostic procedures.
• Accurate staging of mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes is crucial for lung cancer management.
• Alternative diagnostic methods for sarcoidosis and tuberculosis can be limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS) in various pulmonary conditions.
• To assess the role of EBUS in the staging of lung malignancy.
• To determine the utility of EBUS in diagnosing conditions like sarcoidosis and tuberculosis.

Main Methods:

• Utilized both curved and radial EBUS modalities for diagnostic procedures.
• Performed EBUS-Transbronchial Needle Aspiration (TBNA) for tissue sampling.
• Focused on efficient sample handling for molecular analysis.

Main Results:

• EBUS significantly improved diagnostics for several pulmonary diseases.
• Enabled minimally invasive examination and staging of mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes.
• Showed increased diagnostic yield in sarcoidosis and tuberculosis, with some utility in lymphoma.

Conclusions:

• EBUS is a safe and effective minimally invasive technique for diagnosing pulmonary and mediastinal conditions.
• It reduces the need for more invasive surgical procedures.
• Ongoing technological advancements aim to further enhance EBUS capabilities for tissue sampling and image analysis.