title: Three-dimensional virtual bronchoscopy using a tablet computer to guide real-time transbronchial needle aspiration.
abstract: We proposed a new virtual bronchoscopy tool to improve the accuracy of traditional transbronchial needle aspiration for mediastinal staging.
  
  
  
  Chest-computed tomographic images (1 mm thickness) were reconstructed with Osirix software to produce a virtual bronchoscopic simulation. The target adenopathy was identified by measuring its distance from the carina on multiplanar reconstruction images. The static images were uploaded in iMovie Software, which produced a virtual bronchoscopic movie from the images; the movie was then transferred to a tablet computer to provide real-time guidance during a biopsy. To test the validity of our tool, we divided all consecutive patients undergoing transbronchial needle aspiration retrospectively in two groups based on whether the biopsy was guided by virtual bronchoscopy (virtual bronchoscopy group) or not (traditional group). The intergroup diagnostic yields were statistically compared.
  
  
  
  Our analysis included 53 patients in the traditional and 53 in the virtual bronchoscopy group. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy for the traditional group were 66.6%, 100%, 100%, 10.53% and 67.92%, respectively, and for the virtual bronchoscopy group were 84.31%, 100%, 100%, 20% and 84.91%, respectively. The sensitivity ( P  = 0.011) and diagnostic accuracy ( P  = 0.011) of sampling the paratracheal station were better for the virtual bronchoscopy group than for the traditional group; no significant differences were found for the subcarinal lymph node.
  
  
  
  Our tool is simple, economic and available in all centres. It guided in real time the needle insertion, thereby improving the accuracy of traditional transbronchial needle aspiration, especially when target lesions are located in a difficult site like the paratracheal station.
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Unit, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fiorelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raucci
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Unit, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cascone
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reginelli
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Unit, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Di Natale
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology and Endoscopic Unit, Ospedale Scarlato, Scafati, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Santoriello
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology and Endoscopic Unit, Ospedale Scarlato, Scafati, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Capuozzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grassi
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Serra
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology and Endoscopic Unit, Ospedale Scarlato, Scafati, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Polverino
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Unit, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000379:methods*; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D034201:Computers, Handheld; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008482:Mediastinum / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012984:Software; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Mediastinal staging; Transbronchial needle aspiration; Virtual bronchoscopy