Impact of Sedation Technique on the Diagnostic Accuracy of Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided Needle Aspiration (EBUS-TBNA)

Between September, 2007 and January 31, 2014, all consecutive patients who undergo EBUS-TBNA at the University Hospital Zurich for selective assessment of enlarged (≥ 1 cm by CT or ultrasound) or suspected (enhanced fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) activity in PET/CT) lymph nodes were enrolled. Demographic and clinical data, procedural reports and cytological findings were collected from medical records. Computed tomography (CT) or PET/CT scans were prospectively reviewed to gather the size and standardized uptake value (SUV) of FDG of each sampled lymph node. The cytological findings obtained with EBUS-TBNA were verified by histological examination, if a surgical biopsy (mediastinoscopy, thoracoscopy, or thoracotomy) was carried out following EBUS-TBNA, or alternatively by clinical and radiological follow-up data.