Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in Mediastinal Lesions

Objective: Mediastinal lesions can be difficult for sampling to diagnose. The purpose of this study was to investigate the application value of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in the diagnosis of mediastinal lesions. Methods: Between January 2013 and June 2017, 1,020 cases were screened to perform EBUS-TBNA at our institutions. All cases were provenmediastinal masses through computed tomography (CT) or positron emissiontomography (PET)/CT examinations. Results: 1,020 patients underwent EBUS-TBNA and 2,142 lymph nodes punctured. 817 (80.1%) cases wereconfirmed as malignancy; 169 (16.6%) cases were identified as benign. In theremaining patients, twenty-six patientswere examined as malignancyby mediastinoscopy or thoracoscopy. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy value of EBUS-TBNA per patient were 95.8% (817/852), 100% (169/169), and 96.5% (984/1020), respectively. All patients werewell-tolerated with no serious complications, only 32 minor complications were recorded. Conclusion: EBUS-TBNA is a safe and sensitive modality for the histopathological diagnosis of mediastinal lesions