Transbronchial mediastinal cryobiopsy guided by endobronchial ultrasonography: case series of 132 cases

<bold>Introduction:</bold> Endobronchial ultrasound‐guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS‐TBNA) is the technique of choice in the evaluation of malignant lymph nodes and in the staging of lung cancer. However, more suitable and larger tissue samples are increasingly needed, particularly for molecular analysis, and combinations of techniques such as EBUS-guided intranodal transbronchial cryobiopsy (Cryo-EBUS) have emerged. Our objective is to analyze the first patients performed in our unit. <bold>Material and method:</bold> Descriptive study of the 132 patients who underwent EBUS together with mediastinal intranodal cryobiopsy. <bold>Results:</bold> 69.7% were men with a mean age of 62.1 ± 11.2 years. The procedure was performed under conscious sedation and the mean doses were 6mg of midazolam along with 150mcg of fentanyl, and the procedure was performed without incident. The EBUS-TBNA was performed on 78 occasions on subcarinal lymphadenopathy, 30 cases on hilar lymphadenopathy, 14 on the right paratracheal and 10 on a mediastinal mass. On average, 2.48 punctures were performed, after which a 1.1mm cryoprobe was introduced for sampling, taking an average of 3 samples with an average size of 0.47±0.26cm to complete the study. Cryo-EBUS was suitable for diagnosis, obtaining valid and sufficient material in 98.75% compared to 66% with EBUS-TBNA (Table 1), and 75% did not suffer complications. <bold>Conclusions:</bold> • The profitability of Cryo-EBUS is very high • The combination of both techniques can be an advance for the earlier diagnosis of diseases, although a greater number of patients is needed to confirm the data.