Utility and Safety of Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration in the Diagnosis of Isolated Mediastinal Masses

BACKGROUND: Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is a valuable tool for diagnosing pulmonary disease due to its efficiency and safety. We retrospectively analyzed patients with mediastinal masses who underwent diagnostic EBUS-TBNA at Shanghai Chest Hospital, and evaluated the clinical accuracy of EBUS-TBNA in the diagnosis mediastinal masses. METHOD: From 2009 and 2014, patients who received EBUS-TBNA to diagnose a isolated mediastinal mass were enrolled. Clinical follow-up was performed to ascertain the patient’s final diagnosis. RESULTS: Forty-six patients were enrolled in this study. Thirty-seven were diagnosed with an oncologic disease, 3 were diagnosed with a mediastinal infection, and 2 were found to have a mediastinal goiter. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, diagnostic yield was 63.6%, 100%, 100%, 42.9%, and 71.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: EBUS-TBNA is a safe and effective means of diagnosing mediastinal masses.