Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial miniforceps biopsy of mediastinal and hilar lymph node stations

Linear array endobronchial ultrasound has significantly improved the diagnostic yield of transbronchial needle aspiration for the diagnosis of centrally located lesions within the thorax. Although transbronchial needle aspiration has become an accepted technique for diagnosing solid tumors within the chest, its yield for hematologic malignancies such as lymphoma and other benign conditions in which direct examination of tissue architecture are preferred is lower. Currently, surgical biopsies by mediastinoscopy or video-assisted thoracic surgery are often required to obtain adequate tissue specimens to make these diagnoses. In this retrospective study, we review our experience with patients who underwent endobronchial ultrasound-guided miniforceps biopsy of abnormalities at mediastinal and hilar lymph node stations.