There are no accurate data on the relationship between nodal station and diagnostic performance of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA). We evaluated the impact of nodal station and size on the diagnostic performance of EBUS-TBNA in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Consecutive patients who underwent EBUS-TBNA of mediastinal or hilar lymph nodes for staging or diagnosis of NSCLC were included in this retrospective study. Between May 2009 and February 2010, EBUS-TBNA was performed in 373 mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes in 151 patients. The overall diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and negative predictive value (NPV) of EBUS-TBNA were 91.6%, 98.6%, 93.8%, and 84.3%, respectively. NPV of the left side nodal group was significantly lower than those of the other groups (P = 0.047) and sensitivity of the left side nodal group tended to decrease (P = 0.096) compared with those of the other groups. Diagnostic sensitivity and NPV of 4L lymph node were 83.3% and 66.7%, respectively. However, diagnostic performances of EBUS-TBNA did not differ according to nodal size. Bronchoscopists should consider the impact of nodal stations on diagnostic performances of EBUS-TBNA.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biopsy, Needle ; Bronchoscopy ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/*diagnosis/pathology/ultrasonography ; Endosonography ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/*diagnosis/pathology/ultrasonography ; Lymph Nodes/pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Mediastinum/pathology ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity