The Egyptian Journal of Bronchology (May 2022)
Useful on-site macroscopic quantitative evaluation of EBUS-TBNA samples
Abstract
Abstract Background Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is a minimally invasive diagnostic test with a high diagnostic yield. Optimal specimen acquisition is of a key importance; however, rapid on-site cytology examination (ROSE) during EBUS-TBNA has limited access. In an attempt to provide immediate feedback to the operator, the intervention pulmonology team started to classify macroscopically every lymph node sample in terms of abundance. The main objective of this study was to clarify whether this on-site macroscopic evaluation of EBUS sample was related to histology results and therefore any helpful for clinical practice. Results From a total of 288 lymph node stations sampled, adequate/diagnostic histological results were present in 11.1% of “insufficient” samples, 40.9% “sufficient” samples, 76.4% “good” samples and 88.1% of “excellent” samples. This was statistically significant with p-value under 0.0001. Also, there was a statistical agreement between samples that were macroscopically “insufficient” or “sufficient” with “inadequate” and “dubious” histological results and also between macroscopically “good” and “excellent” samples and histological results that were adequate/diagnostic. And that statistical agreement was of moderate magnitude according to the “Landis and Koch” classification (k = 0.386). Conclusions The positive relationship between the on-site macroscopic evaluation of the EBUS sample as “excellent” and the “adequate/diagnostic” histological result is of high clinical importance since it represents a fast, cheap and easy method that provides immediate feedback to the operator influencing his conduct; by obtaining additional passes to achieve an “excellent” will ensure a higher percentage of samples with a diagnosis, accelerating the patients treatment.
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