Usefulness of Endobronchial Ultrasonography With a Guide Sheath and Virtual Bronchoscopic Navigation for Ground-Glass Opacity Lesions.

BACKGROUND: Endobronchial ultrasonography with guide sheath (EBUS-GS) could be useful for diagnosing ground-glass opacity (GGO) predominant-type lesions in the peripheral lung. Furthermore, several studies have reported that transbronchial biopsy using EBUS-GS and virtual bronchoscopic navigation (VBN) was safe and effective for diagnosing small peripheral lung lesions. Our objectives were to diagnose solitary peripheral GGO predominant-type lesions by transbronchial biopsy using EBUS-GS and VBN under radiographic fluoroscopic guidance, and to evaluate the clinical factors associated with diagnostic yield.

METHODS: The medical records of 169 patients with GGO predominant-type lesions who underwent transbronchial biopsy using EBUS-GS and VBN under radiographic fluoroscopic guidance were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTS: Endobronchial ultrasonography images could be obtained for 156 (92%) of 169 GGO predominant-type lesions, and 116 (69%) were successfully diagnosed by this method (20 of 31 pure GGO lesions [65%]; 96 of 138 mixed GGO predominant-type lesions [70%]). The mean size of diagnosed lesions was significantly larger than that of nondiagnosed lesions (22 mm versus 18 mm, p < 0.01). Regarding diagnostic yield based on computed tomography sign, cases with presence of a bronchus leading directly to a lesion had significantly higher diagnostic yield than the other lesions (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: The addition of VBN to EBUS-GS could be useful in clinical practice for diagnosing GGO predominant-type lesions in the peripheral lung.