When Policy Topic is covered Endobronchial ultrasound guidance with transbronchial needle biopsy may be considered medically necessary for the evaluation of peripheral pulmonary lesions in patients with suspected lung cancer when the following criteria are met:  Tissue biopsy of the peripheral pulmonary lesion is required for diagnosis (see Considerations section)  The peripheral pulmonary le...

Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) helps bronchoscopists attain cytologic specimens from sites beyond the airway with accuracy, ease, and safety. Research has fl ourished, and publications have included reports of biopsying not only lymph nodes for lung cancer staging, but also lung and mediastinal masses, TB-infected lymph nodes, cysts, and thyroid nod...

OBJECTIVE Although the diagnostic yield of guided bronchoscopy for peripheral pulmonary lesions has improved to 70%, it is still low compared with transthoracic needle aspiration. We produced a new bronchoscope with middle-range diameter and large channel (BF-Y0053, Olympus, Japan), and evaluated its diagnostic efficacy for peripheral pulmonary lesions. METHODS This was a retrospective study ...

A 77-year-old man was referred to our hospital due to enlarging mediastinal/hilar lymphadenopathy with calcification. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) and bone marrow aspiration were performed. Subsequently, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) associated with mediastinal amyloidosis was diagnosed. We hereby report a case in which...

The objective of this study was to assess the utility of endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) morphology of lymph nodes in predicting benign cytology of transbronchial needle aspirates in a prospective observational study. Five ultrasonic morphological characteristics of mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes were recorded: size, shape, margins, echogenic appearance and the presence of a central blood ve...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to assess the value of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) for differentiating cN0 versus cN1 non-small cell lung cancer. METHODS A retrospective review of EBUS-TBNA results in patients with potentially resectable clinical N0 or N1 non-small cell lung cancer based on computed tomography and positron emission tomogra...

OBJECTIVE Nodal staging of lung cancer is important for selecting surgical candidates. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) was evaluated as a modality for nodal staging of patients with potentially node-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration was used for nodal staging of NSC...

terventional pulmonology’. The real challenge has been the rapid and widespread uptake of endobronchial ultrasound procedures. This procedure requires different skill sets, such as standard bronchoscopy, and success is based on the knowledge of the extrabronchial vasculature and bronchial and lymph node anatomy. Subtle differences are bronchoscope handling, for example the need to oppose the br...

Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) imaging is commonly used to evaluate and aid in biopsy of mediastinal lymph nodes. Pulmonary arteries are readily viewable with this type of imaging modality. We present a case report of a pulmonary embolism (PE) diagnosed by EBUS. Our patient had no smoking history and presented with respiratory and constitutional symptoms, urinary retention, and leg weakness su...

BACKGROUND Diagnosing mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathy and staging lung cancer with endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) are on the rise, but uncertainty surrounds the optimal number of cases needed to achieve acceptable yields. OBJECTIVES To determine the threshold at which EBUS-TBNA reaches adequate yields among trainees and skilled bronchoscop...