title: "Dry" pleural mesothelioma successfully diagnosed on endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA).
abstract: The acquisition of histologic material is obligatory in order to establish the diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). In particular, tissue acquisition in cases of "dry" MPM (focal pleural thickening without pleural effusion or mediastinal lymph node involvement) is usually performed via a thoracoscopic pleural biopsy. In contrast, the techniques for performing echoendoscopic (transbronchial or transesophageal) needle aspiration of pleural lesions have only rarely been reported due to the theoretical limitations of tissue acquisition in such cases. We herein report the first case of "dry" MPM successfully diagnosed via endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in a 73-year-old man presenting with a pleural mass in the right costovertebral recess, adjacent to the carina. The patient underwent radical resection, and a definitive pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of epithelioid MPM.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Thoracic Surgery, IRCCS-Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Italy.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lococo
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Agostini
authors.forename: Angelina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Filice
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paci
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rapicetta
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ricchetti
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tenconi
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Piro
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sgarbi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle / Q000379:methods*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019160:Endosonography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D061705:Image-Guided Biopsy / Q000379:methods*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000086002:Mesothelioma, Malignant; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology