Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 20, 2026
Author Spotlight: Expanding Interventional Pulmonology Research with Robotic-Assisted Bronchoscopy
Published on: July 19, 2024
Transbronchial Cryobiopsy in Interstitial Lung Disease: Are We on the Right Path?
José A Cascante1, Pilar Cebollero, Sonia Herrero
1Departments of *Pneumology †Pathology, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra (Hospital Complex of Navarre), Pamplona, Navarra, Spain.
Insights
Transbronchial lung cryobiopsy offers a promising diagnostic yield for interstitial lung disease (ILD). This minimally invasive technique may reduce the need for surgical biopsies in diffuse ILD cases.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Interventional Pulmonology
- Diagnostic Pathology
Background:
- Histologic analysis is crucial for definitive interstitial lung disease (ILD) diagnosis.
- Traditional transbronchial forceps biopsy has limited diagnostic yield for idiopathic interstitial pneumonias.
- Transbronchial lung cryobiopsy is an emerging technique for ILD diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic yield and safety of transbronchial lung cryobiopsy for ILD.
- To assess the feasibility of cryobiopsy in a clinical setting.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 55 patients with ILD from January 2012 to January 2015.
- Detailed reporting of methodology, diagnostic yield, sample characteristics, and complications.
- Utilized a flexible cryoprobe for transbronchial lung cryobiopsy.
Main Results:
- A definitive or highly likely diagnosis was achieved in 89.8% of cases.
- Usual interstitial pneumonia was the most frequent diagnosis (18 cases).
- Pneumothorax was the most common complication, occurring in 14.5% of patients.
Conclusions:
- Transbronchial lung cryobiopsy demonstrates good diagnostic yield for diffuse ILD.
- This technique serves as a viable alternative to surgical lung biopsy.
- Cryobiopsy can potentially obviate the need for more invasive surgical procedures.
Background:
A definitive and specific diagnosis of interstitial lung disease (ILD) often requires a histologic analysis of the lung parenchyma. A transbronchial biopsy with forceps has a limited diagnostic yield for idiopathic interstitial pneumonias. The incorporation of a transbronchial lung cryobiopsy for diagnosing ILD appears to be very promising, although there are only a few published studies in this regard. Our paper shows the results of using this technique in our center.
Methods:
This was a prospective study including 55 patients with ILD diagnosed from January 2012 to January 2015. The methodology used, the overall diagnostic yield, and the number and the location of samples, in addition to complications, have been reported.
Results:
In 38 (69%), 10 (20.8%), and 7 (12.7%) cases, we obtained a certain, highly likely, and unclassifiable diagnosis of interstitial pneumonia, respectively. With 18 cases, usual interstitial pneumonia was the most common diagnosis. The most common complication was a pneumothorax in 8 patients (14.5%).
Conclusions:
A transbronchial lung cryobiopsy using a flexible cryoprobe has a good diagnostic yield and might be an alternative to consider in cases of diffuse ILD in which a histologic sample is required for diagnosis. This technique could avoid a large number of surgical biopsies.
More Related Videos
09:01The Bovine Lung in Biomedical Research: Visually Guided Bronchoscopy, Intrabronchial Inoculation and In Vivo Sampling Techniques
Published on: July 3, 2014
08:42Isolating Bronchial Epithelial Cells from Resected Lung Tissue for Biobanking and Establishing Well-Differentiated Air-Liquid Interface Cultures
Published on: May 26, 2023