Advances in diagnostic interventional pulmonology

The recent advances in diagnostic pulmonary procedures have revolutionized the evaluation of abnormal thoracic findings including lung nodules and masses, mediastinal lymphadenopathy, and pleural diseases. Bronchoscopies with endobronchial ultrasonography and electromagnetic navigation are examples of new technology that has significantly improved the specificity and sensitivity of these procedures in diagnosis and staging of lung cancer without the need for more invasive procedures. This report describes the different diagnostic pulmonary interventions providing a description of the procedures, their indications, diagnostic yield and drawback.