Abstract
Background: Biopsy of ground-glass opacity (GGO) lesions performed under endobronchial ultrasonography with a guide sheath (EBUS-GS) has produced relatively low diagnostic yields.
Objectives: To clarify whether CT findings can contribute to the return of an EBUS-GS-guided diagnosis of GGO lesions.
Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 58 patients with GGO lesions. Forty-four of 58 lesions were diagnosed by means of EBUS-GS-guided biopsy, and the remaining 14 undiagnosed by EBUS-GS-guided biopsy were diagnosed by CT-guided biopsy or surgery. We reviewed CT images obtained prior to EBUS-GS-guided biopsy to measure the maximum diameter of the GGO lesion, the maximum diameter of the solid component, the distance from the bifurcation of the lobe bronchus to the lesion, and the presence or absence of a “bronchus sign.”
Results: The diagnostic yield for lesions with a maximum diameter of the solid component >5 mm (38/46, 82.6%) was significantly greater than that for the lesions with a maximum diameter of the solid component ≤5 mm (6/12, 50%) (p = 0.024). There was no significant difference in the diagnostic yield based on the maximum GGO diameter, the distance from the bifurcation of the lobe bronchus to the lesion, or the presence of a bronchus sign.
Conclusions: Our data suggest that EBUS-GS-guided biopsy can yield a diagnosis when the maximum diameter of the solid part of the malignant GGO lesion depicted on the CT image is >5 mm.
