THE VALUE OF ENDOBRONCHIAL ULTRASOUND-GUIDED TRANSBRONCHIAL NEEDLE ASPIRATION FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF PULMONARY SARCOIDOSIS REAL-LIFE SETTINGS

Abstract

Background: Endobronchial ultrasonography-assist transbronhial needle aspiration is a mimimally invasive technique which is used to hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopaty.The purpose of this study was to investigate the value of EBUS-TBNA diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Methods: The study included 42 patients who underwent EBUS-TBNA because of a suspicion of sarcoidosis (stage I and II) on pulmonary radiography and thorax tomography. A total of 104 lymph node stations were sampled from 42 patients. Results: A diagnosis of sarcoidosis was made histologically in 38 of the 42 patients from whom lymph node sampling was performed with EBUS-TBNA. Conclusion: EBUS-TBNA is a successful method in the histopathologic diagnosis of grade I and grade II sarcoidosis. Therefore, EBUS-TBNA should be considered first in the diagnosis of stage I and stage II sarcoidosis.