• Ritesh Agarwal, Arjun Srinivasan, Ashutosh N Aggarwal, and Dheeraj Gupta.
• Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
• Respir Med. 2012 Jun 1;106(6):883-92.

Background And AimReal-time endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is a minimally invasive technique for diagnosis of mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Although most studies have reported the utility of EBUS-TBNA in malignancy, its use has been extended to benign conditions including sarcoidosis. Herein, we perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting the diagnostic yield and safety of EBUS-TBNA in sarcoidosis.MethodsWe searched the PubMed and EmBase databases for relevant studies published from 2004 to 2011, and included studies that have reported the diagnostic yield of EBUS-TBNA in sarcoidosis. The quality of studies was assessed using the QualSyst tool. We calculated the proportions with 95% confidence interval (CI) to assess the diagnostic yield of EBUS-TBNA in individual studies and then pooled the results using a random effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I(2) and Cochran-Q tests while publication bias was assessed using both graphical and statistical methods.ResultsOur search yielded 15 studies (553 patients of sarcoidosis). The diagnostic yield of EBUS-TBNA ranged from 54 to 93% with the pooled diagnostic accuracy being 79% (95% CI, 71-86%) by the random effects model. The yield was not statistically different in studies employing on-site cytological evaluation (80.1%) vs. those without (81.3%). However, the diagnostic yield was significantly higher in prospective studies (83.9%) vs. the retrospective studies (74.3%). Only five minor complications were reported in 553 patients. There was evidence of heterogeneity and publication bias.ConclusionsEBUS-TBNA is a safe and efficacious procedure in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, and should be routinely employed wherever available.Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

14 keywords...

hide…