The clinical utility of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration: A single-center experience from the Middle East

BACKGROUND: Endobronchial Ultrasound with Transbronchial Needle Aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is a well-established tool in evaluating the diverse etiologies of mediastinal lymphadenopathy. The objectives of our study included the estimation of overall, diagnostic yield in different primary tumors, and identification of the factors influencing yield. METHODS: This is a 3-year retrospective analytical study on patients with mediastinal lymph nodes who underwent EBUS-TBNA from January 2022 to December 2024 at Sultan Qaboos Comprehensive Cancer Care and Research Center, Muscat, Oman. The study included only patients with complete pathological and medical records. RESULTS: < 0.001). No major complications were encountered. CONCLUSIONS: EBUS-TBNA has a high diagnostic yield in mediastinal lymphadenopathy. It should be considered as the primary invasive tool for both diagnostic and staging assessment of mediastinal nodes. However, its limitations are noticeable in suspected lymphoma and molecular analysis, noting that this conclusion is limited by the small sample size.