• Albert Sánchez-Font, Víctor Curull, Iván Vollmer, Lara Pijuan, Angel Gayete, and Joaquim Gea.
• Servei de Pneumologia, Hospital del Mar-IMIM, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Barcelona, España. ASanchezF@imas.imim.es
• Arch. Bronconeumol. 2009 May 1;45(5):212-7.

IntroductionTransbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) is a bronchoscopic technique that has been shown to be useful for sampling enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes. The yield of this technique can be increased by using endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) to guide needle placement. The aim of the present study was to compare the yield of radial EBUS-guided TBNA to that of conventional TBNA in the analysis of mediastinal lymph nodes.Patients And MethodsAll patients undergoing either EBUS-guided or conventional TBNA for the diagnosis of mediastinal lymph nodes between January 2006 and May 2007 were studied consecutively. Histology results were used as a reference standard in the patients treated surgically. In cases in which surgery was not indicated, the results of cytology or of clinical follow-up of at least 6 months duration were used.ResultsTBNA was performed in 117 patients, and a total of 143 lymph nodes were punctured (mean shortest [SD] diameter, 17.9 [8]mm). The samples obtained were diagnostic in 58 patients (49.6%) and in 70 lymph nodes (49.0%). For paratracheal and hilar stations, the yield of radial EBUS-guided TBNA was superior to that of conventional TBNA (59.2% compared to 34.1%, P=.02).ConclusionsRadial EBUS guidance increases the diagnostic yield of TBNA in paratracheal and hilar lymph node stations.

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