title: [Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration for lung cancer diagnosis and staging in 179 patients].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Linear endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is an important minimally invasive procedure for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) staging. It is also a valid method for diagnosing extraluminal lesions adjacent to the tracheobronchial tree.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate our EBUS-TBNA performance regarding diagnostic yield, safety and learning curve for lung cancer diagnosis and staging.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients undergoing EBUS-TBNA for lung cancer diagnosis or staging were included. They were divided into three different groups: paratracheal and parabronchial masses sent for diagnosis (Group 1); peripheral lung lesions with abnormal mediastinal lymph nodes sent for diagnosis and staging (Group 2); NSCLC patients sent for mediastinal staging (Group 3). The learning curve was assessed for yield, accuracy, procedure time, size and number of lesions punctured per patient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 179 patients were included and 372 lesions were punctured. The overall yield and accuracy were 88% and 92.7%, respectively. In Group 1, EBUS-TBNA was performed in 48 patients and sensitivity was 86.1% and accuracy was 87.5%. For the 87 patients included in Group 2, yield was 86.7%, accuracy was 93.1% and cancer prevalence was 51.7%. The diagnostic yield and accuracy in Group 3 was 95% and 97.7% respectively. EBUS-TBNA practice led to an increase number of sites punctured per patient in a shorter time, without complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EBUS-TBNA is an effective method for diagnosing and staging lung cancer patients. The procedure is clearly safe. Handling and performance improves with the number of procedures executed.
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Técnicas Invasivas Pneumológicas, Pneumologia II, Hospital Pulido Valente, Lisboa, Portugal; Unidade de Pneumologia de Intervenção, Hospital Beatriz Ângelo, Loures, Portugal; Centro de Estudos de Doenças Crónicas (CEDOC), Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: antonio.bugalho@hbeatrizangelo.pt.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bugalho
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barata
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Medeiros
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carreiro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001980:Bronchi; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D061765:Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008482:Mediastinum; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies
keywords: Curva de aprendizagem; Diagnosis; Diagnóstico; Ecoendoscopia brônquica; Endobronchial ultrasound; Estadiamento; Fine needle aspiration; Learning curve; Lung cancer; Neoplasia do pulmão; Punção aspirativa; Staging