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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Substernal Thyroid Biopsy Using Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration
Published on: November 10, 2014
Determinants of single‑pass specimen adequacy in endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration: a
Yajuan Qian1, Yongkang Huang1, Xiaoliang Zhu1
1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Background:
Although endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) diagnostic yield has been widely studied, factors influencing specimen adequacy from a single puncture remain unclear. This study aimed to identify factors associated with the specimen adequacy of a single EBUS‑TBNA puncture to inform and refine procedural strategies.
Methods:
This single-center observational study enrolled consecutive patients undergoing EBUS-TBNA. Puncture-level data were collected, and the primary outcome was the single-pass specimen adequacy rate, assessed using the Macroscopic On-site Specimen Evaluation (MOSE) scoring system. Evaluated variables included procedure-related factors (needle pathway, operator experience), lymph-node characteristics (station, size, N stage, presence of computed tomography (CT) hypodense areas), and patient characteristics. A cumulative link mixed model (CLMM) was used to identify independent predictors of specimen adequacy.
Results:
A total of 426 lymph nodes (636 punctures) from 219 patients were analyzed. The median MOSE score was 2 [1, 4] and the median puncture attempts was 1 [1, 2]. In univariate analyses, lymph node size, malignant pathology, and lymph node station were associated with specimen adequacy, whereas needle pathway (central vs. peripheral), N stage, the presence of a hypodense area, and operator experience were not significant predictors (P>0.05). Multivariate analysis identified lymph node station and a final diagnosis of malignant pathology as independent predictors of specimen adequacy (P<0.05).
Conclusions:
In this study, specimen adequacy from a single EBUS‑TBNA puncture appeared to be more closely related to malignancy and lymph node station. These findings indicate that disease‑related factors may influence single‑pass yield; however, additional studies are required to validate these results and determine their applicability across different clinical settings.
