Value of virtual bronchoscopic navigation and transbronchial ultrasound-guided sheath-guided exploration in diagnosis of peripheral lung cancer

BACKGROUND: Peripheral lung cancer poses a substantial harm to human health, and it is easy to become exacerbated, potentially threatening the life and safety of patients AIM: To assess the value of virtual bronchoscopic navigation (VBN) combined with transbronchial ultrasound-guided sheath-guided (EBUS-GS) exploration in the diagnosis of peripheral lung cancer. METHODS: A total of 236 patients with peripheral lung cancer (nodule diameter range, 8-30 mm; diagnosed using high-resolution computed tomography) were selected from three centers between October 2018 and December 2019. Patients who underwent EBUS-GS exploration alone were included in a control group, and those who received VBN in combination with EBUS-GS exploration were included in an observation group. The diagnostic rate and total operating time of different subgroups of the two groups were compared, and the time needed to determine the lesion was recorded. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in diagnosis rate or total operation time between the two groups (P > 0.05), and the time needed to determine the lesion in the observation group was less than that of the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The combined use of VBN and EBUS-GS exploration technology has little effect on the diagnosis rate and total operation time of peripheral lung cancer, but it significantly shortens the time needed to determine the lesion and is a valuable diagnostic method.