Abstract
Background. Because transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) is an easy and safe procedure, its usefulness for the diagnosis of mediastinal lymphadenopathy is established. However we encountered a case of pneumomediastinum after TBNA. Here we report this rare complication. Case. A 68-year-old woman presented with persis-tent cough. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed mediastinal and right hilar lymphadenopathy. In July 2001, she underwent bronchoscopy for TBNA. TBNA was performed using a 19-gauge histology needle MW-319 (Mill-Rose Labora-tories, Mentor, OH, USA), and two aspirates were obtained from the carina. She did not complain of any chest pain throughout the procedure. On the next day, subcutaneous emphysema at the neck was observed. Chest X-ray and CT revealed pneumomediastinum. Both subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum spontaneously resolved by 5 days after TBNA. The etiology of the lymphadenopathy is still undetermined because pathologic examination of the TBNA specimens did not result in a definitive diagnosis. Therefore, she is now under observation. Conclusion. TBNA can, although rarely, cause complications including pneumomediastinum. Therefore, careful observation of the patient' s condition using chest X-ray is necessary.
