[Radioactive seed implantation for the treatment of mediastinal malignant tumors and lymph node metastases in 43 cases]

[Interventional Bronchoscopy for the Treatment of Pulmonary Sarcoma]

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary sarcoma is a rare malignant tumor in soft tissues. Resection is the preferred option to treat this tumor. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of interventional bronchoscopies in the treatment of pulmonary sarcoma if the patient is inoperable.

METHODS

Sixteen cases with pulmonary sarcoma were retrospectively reviewed in our hospital from November 2008 to July 2014. The mean age was (53.1±5.4) years old. Rigid bronchoscopy was applied for the first procedure with general anesthesia, and electronic bronchoscopy was used for the second procedure or slight patients.

RESULTS

Sixteen cases, which include 10 sarcomatoid carcinoma, 2 fibrosarcoma, 2 sarcoma, 1 fibromucoid sarcoma, and 1 spindle cell synovial sarcoma, were collected in this study. Eleven cases (68.8%) were peripheral and mainly located in the right upper lobe and left lower lobe. Five cases (31.2%) were central. Of these cases, 82% (9/11) were mixed and primary tumors in pulmonary tumor. Meanwhile, 56% (9/16) were intraluminal and 69% (11/16) were metastatic in central airway. All of the four cases with whole atelectasis were completely relieved through postbronchoscopic interventions. Three of the seven cases with segment atelectasis were completely reopened; two of them were partially relieved; and the remaining two had no response. The obstructive degree, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), and shortness of breathless score improved significantly after the treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Interventional bronchoscopy could rapidly and efficiently remove endobronchial tumor, relieve airway obstruction, and improve clinical symptoms.

Endobronchial ultrasound elastography: a new method in endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration

BACKGROUND

TBNA through the flexible bronchoscope is a 37-year-old technology that utilizes a TBNA needle to puncture the bronchial wall and obtain specimens of peribronchial and mediastinal lesions through the flexible bronchoscope for the diagnosis of benign and malignant diseases in the mediastinum and lung.

METHODS

Since 2002, the Olympus Company developed the first generation ultrasound equipment for use in the airway, initially utilizing an ultrasound probe introduced through the working channel followed by incoroporation of a fixed linear ultrasound array at the distal tip of the bronchoscope. This new bronchoscope equipped with a convex type ultrasound probe on the tip was subsequently introduced into clinical practice. The convex probe (CP)-EBUS allows real-time endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) of mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes. EBUS-TBNA is a minimally invasive procedure performed under local anesthesia that has been shown to have a high sensitivity and diagnostic yield for lymph node staging of lung cancer.

RESULTS

In 10 years of EBUS development, the Olympus Company developed the second generation EBUS bronchoscope (BF-UC260FW) with the ultrasound image processor (EU-M1), and in 2013 introduced a new ultrasound image processor (EU-M2) into clinical practice. FUJI company has also developed a curvilinear array endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscope (EB-530 US) that makes it easier for the operator to master the operation of the ultrasonic bronchoscope. Also, the new thin convex probe endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscope (TCP-EBUS) is able to visualize one to three bifurcations distal to the current CP-EBUS.

CONCLUSIONS

The emergence of EBUS-TBNA has also been accompanied by innovation in EBUS instruments. EBUS elastography is, then, a new technique for describing the compliance of structures during EBUS, which may be of use in the determination of metastasis to the mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes. This article describes these new EBUS techniques and reviews the relevant literature.