2013 Volume 35 Issue 4 Pages 413-417
Background. Real-time ultrasound-guided needle aspiration through the airway and esophagus has been reported to be both accurate and safe as a technique for evaluating hilar and mediastinal lesions. Few reports, however, have described the diagnosis of peripheral lung disease through the esophagus. Case. A 60-year-old man visited our hospital because of back pain. Chest computed tomography showed a mass in the left upper lobe directly invading a thoracic vertebra. No tumor markers were elevated. The position of the tumor, being in immediate contact with the esophagus made diagnosis by bronchoscopy and the transthoracic approach difficult. As an alternative, we performed transesophageal bronchoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (TEBUS) after the usual bronchoscopy. The examination was performed without complications. Non-small cell lung carcinoma was diagnosed and chemoradiation therapy was commenced. Conclusion. TEBUS was a safe, effective, and less invasive method for evaluating a mediastinal lesion adjacent to the esophagus.
