Isolated mediastinal lymphadenopathy – performance of EBUS-TBNA in clinical practice

Background Isolated mediastinal lymphadenopathy is an increasingly common finding as a result of the increasing use of cross-sectional thoracic imaging. We investigated the performance of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle-aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in establishing a pathological diagnosis in patients with isolated mediastinal lymphadenopathy.

Methods We retrospectively analysed all consecutive EBUS-TBNA examinations performed over a 4-year period at a single tertiary referral centre. Final diagnoses were made using pathology reports, correlated with clinical features and the results of any other investigations.

Results In total, 126 EBUS-TBNA examinations were performed to investigate isolated mediastinal lymphadenopathy. A positive pathological diagnosis was made following EBUS-TBNA in 54 cases (43%). When the results of further investigations and variable radiological follow up were included, the final sensitivity of EBUS-TBNA for making a diagnosis in isolated mediastinal lymphadenopathy was 80% (95% CI 69%–89%).

Conclusions This study confirms that EBUS-TBNA has acceptable sensitivity for detecting both benign and malignant pathologies underlying isolated mediastinal lymphadenopathy.