Diagnostic value of endobronchial ultrasound elastography combined with rapid onsite cytological evaluation in endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration

Abstract

Background: Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) elastography has been applied in EBUS-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) to identify malignant lymph nodes based on the tissue stiffness. Rapid onsite cytological evaluation (ROSE) has been widely used for onsite evaluation of the adequacy of the samples and guiding the sampling during EBUS-TBNA. The aim of the study is to investigate the diagnostic value of combined EBUS elastography and ROSE in evaluating of mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes status.Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed from December 2018 to September 2020. Patients’ demographic, EBUS elastography score, ROSE, pathologic and clinical outcomes were collected. The EBUS elastography scores were classified as follows: Type 1, predominantly non-blue; Type 2, partially blue and partially non-blue; Type 3, predominantly blue. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to compare the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio among EBUS elastography, ROSE, and EBUS combined with ROSE groups for evaluation of malignant lymph nodes.Results: A total of 247 patients (345 lymph nodes) were included in our study. The sensitivity and specificity of EBUS elastography group in the diagnosis of malignant lymph nodes were 90.51% and 57.26%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity in the ROSE alone group were 96.32% and 79.05%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio of EBUS elastography combined with ROSE group were 86.61%, 92.65%, 11.78, and 0.14, respectively, and the area under curve was 0.942.Conclusions: The combination of EBUS elastography and ROSE significantly increased the diagnostic value of EBUS-TBNA in evaluating mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes status.