title: Endobronchial ultrasonography in bronchoscopic occult pulmonary lesions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The diagnostic yield of flexible bronchoscopy for peripheral pulmonary lesions is variable and often limited. Endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS) has been reported to help localize a bronchoscopic occult pulmonary lesion and thereby improve the diagnostic yield of transbronchial biopsy (TBB).
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated the yield of EBUS-guided TBB in 50 consecutive patients with a bronchoscopic occult pulmonary lesion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean diameter of the lesions was 36.6 mm (SD = 19.7 mm). We could visualize 74% of the bronchoscopic occult lesions with EBUS, and in these patients, a histologic diagnosis on TBB was obtained in 84%. However, the diagnostic yield was very poor for lesions <20 mm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EBUS-guided TBB is effective for localizing and diagnosing bronchoscopic occult pulmonary masses > or =20 mm, but its yield remains unsatisfactory for lesions <20 mm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology (Respiratory Oncology Unit) and Leuven Lung Cancer Group, Catholic University, Leuven, Belgium. christophe.dooms@kuleuven.be
authors.forename: Christophe A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Dooms
authors.forename: Eric K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Verbeken
authors.forename: Heinrich D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Maurits G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Demedts
authors.forename: Johan F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Vansteenkiste
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography