Assessing Performance of Bronchoscopic Diagnostic Techniques

Parenchymal pulmonary lesions (PPL) are a common problem in pulmonary medicine, but diagnosing them remains a challenge. Options include surgery, CT-guided biopsy, and bronchoscopic approaches. CT-guided biopsy has a reported sensitivity of 92% in meta-analysis; however, it is associated with a complication rate of 39% for core biopsy and 24% for fine needle aspiration.1,2 In contrast, bronchoscopic approaches have lower sensitivity but a lower risk of complications. Meta-analyses of radial endobronchial ultrasound scanning (r-EBUS) and electromagnetic navigation report pooled sensitivities of 72% and 77%, with pneumothorax rates of 0.7% and 2%, respectively.