EUS-FNA and EBUS-TBNA; the pulmonologist's and surgeon's perspective

Evaluation and Comparison of Performance Parameters and Impact of Telepathology and Operator Experience on Endobronchial and Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration

OBJECTIVES

Endobronchial ultrasound- and endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EBUS-/EUS-FNA) are minimally invasive techniques of diagnosing and staging malignancies. The procedures are difficult to master, requiring specific feedback for optimizing yield.

METHODS

Over 2 years, EBUS-/EUS-FNA cases were gathered using the institutional pathology database. Patient and specimen characteristics were collected from the pathology database and electronic medical record.

RESULTS

In 2 years, 789 unique FNA specimens were collected (356 EBUS and 433 EUS specimens). The cohort and each subgroup had excellent performance, which was enhanced by telepathology. The discrepancy rate was satisfactorily low. Hematolymphoid neoplasms are overrepresented in discrepant EBUS cases. The malignancy rates of cytology diagnostic categories were comparable to the literature.

CONCLUSIONS

Using diagnostic yield and concordance results allow for comprehensive evaluation of the entire process of EBUS-/EUS-FNAs. This study's findings can influence patient management, training methods, and interpretation of results, while also acting as a model for others to investigate their own sources of inadequacy, discrepancy, and training gaps.

Ultrasonography in gastroenterology

Ultrasonography (US) is a safe and available real-time, high-resolution imaging method, which during the last decades has been increasingly integrated as a clinical tool in gastroenterology. New US applications have emerged with enforced data software and new technical solutions, including strain evaluation, three-dimensional imaging and use of ultrasound contrast agents. Specific gastroenterologic applications have been developed by combining US with other diagnostic or therapeutic methods, such as endoscopy, manometry, puncture needles, diathermy and stents. US provides detailed structural information about visceral organs without hazard to the patients and can play an important clinical role by reducing the need for invasive procedures. This paper presents different aspects of US in gastroenterology, with a special emphasis on the contribution from Nordic scientists in developing clinical applications.

Utility and diagnostic accuracy of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial fine-needle aspiration cytology of mediastinal lesions: Saudi Arabian experience

Objective:

The objective of this study is to evaluate the cytological accuracy of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial fine-needle aspiration (EBUS-TFNA) of the mediastinal mass/nodular lesions.

Study Design:

Over 3½ years from inception at King Khalid University Hospital, a retrospective analysis of the cytological diagnoses of all the EBUS-TFNA procedures performed in 80 patients who had mediastinal mass/nodular enlargement. Cytology results were reviewed and correlated with the histologic follow-up.

Results:

Of the 80 patients who underwent EBUS-TFNA, 15 cases (18.75%) were positive for malignancy, 48 cases (60%) negative for malignancy and 17 cases (21.25%) unsatisfactory. Of the 48 cases, which were negative for malignancy, 24 (50%) cases were of granulomatous inflammation. The overall diagnostic yield of our EBUS-TFNA specimen was 78.75%. Forty-seven cases (58.75%) of 80 cases had histological follow-up biopsies. Among them, 32 cases (68%) had the same cytological and histological diagnosis and 15 cases (31.09%) had discordance between the cytology and the follow-up histological diagnosis. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for diagnosing granulomas by EBUS-TFNA are 77%, 82%, 83%, and 75% and for diagnosing malignancy are 71%, 100%, 100%, and 82%, respectively.

Conclusion:

Preliminary results show that cytological samples obtained through EBUS-TFNA are accurate and specific in making a diagnosis of the mediastinal mass/nodular lesions. Its optimum use depends on the effective collaboration between the cytotechnologist, pathologist, and the bronchoscopist.

Quality-of-life improvement and cost-effectiveness of interventional pulmonary procedures

Most interventional pulmonology studies focus on the technical success of procedures without measuring validated quality-of-life (QoL) outcomes. Studies are now incorporating end points that include QoL measurements and there are examples of interventional procedures that likely improve QoL. It is vital for the interventional pulmonary literature to incorporate cost-effectiveness when introducing new technology. While not uniformly analyzed in a rigorous manner in all studies, there are examples of interventional pulmonary studies that analyze cost-effectiveness through avoidance of more expensive procedures, cost savings per day free of emergency room visit, or cost savings per day not requiring intensive care unit care.

Cytology of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration: a retrospective study with histology correlation

BACKGROUND

Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is a relatively new modality that can be used to guide transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) of mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes and peripheral lung lesions. Few studies have investigated the cytological profile of EBUS-TBNA specimens. In this study, we have reviewed the cytological profile of 135 consecutive cases, including 71 lymph node cases, 4 lung cases, and 60 cases of both lymph node and lung sampling. Our study contains the largest number of cases in the evaluation of cytomorphology.

METHODS

The cytological specimens were collected using an ultrasound bronchofibervideoscope with a 22-gauge needle and core biopsies were obtained with a 19-gauge needle. An experienced cytotechnologist performed an immediate on-site evaluation of adequacy. An immediate assessment was given to the clinician after each pass. In many patients, multiple sites were sampled. The average slides of each case were 9.9 (median of 12), with a range from 2 to 24.

RESULTS

Of 131 cases of lymph node sampling, 45 cases (34.6%) were diagnosed as malignant, 73 cases (55.7%) as benign process, 5 cases (3.8%) as suspicious for malignancy, and 1 case (0.8%) as atypical cells. Of the 64 cases of lung lesion sampling, 21 cases (32.8%) were diagnosed as malignant, 35 cases (54.7%) as benign process, 1 case (1.5%) as suspicious for malignancy, and 4 cases (6.3%) as atypical cells. The lymph node nondiagnostic rate was 5.3%, whereas the nondiagnostic rate for lung lesions was 4.7%. Eighty-eight cases (65.2%, 88/135) had corresponding core biopsies (with a 19-gauge needle) or follow-up surgery. When histology was taken as the gold standard, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for EBUS-TBNA were 85.0%, 100%, and 100% and 89.7%, respectively. However, when both histology and clinical follow-up were considered together, the overall sensitivity and negative predictive values were increased to 94.7% (P < .05) and 96.6% (P < .05), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that EBUS-TBNA is an accurate and sensitive method for diagnosing and staging lung cancer. The constant challenge that we as cytopathologists are now facing is how to improve our diagnostic ability and accuracy for lung cancer. We believe that this optimal goal can be achieved with the effective use of EBUS-TBNA sampling and collaboration with our clinical colleagues.