Mediastinal infectious complication after endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration

We report here a mediastinal infectious complication after endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) that was successfully treated using intravenous antibiotic therapy. EBUS-TBNA was performed for a 59-year old man with mediastinal adenopathy 8 years after left pneumonectomy for squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. A single-needle pass produced an adequate cytology and histology sample, and the lesion was diagnosed as small-cell lung cancer. The procedure itself was uneventful, but the patient developed a nightly fever after the biopsy. Finally, he was readmitted, and intravenous antibiotic therapy was required for 4 weeks to treat a mediastinal infection after EBUS-TBNA before chemotherapy for small-cell lung cancer.