Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration in the Mediastinal Staging of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

In this article, we assessed the pooled sensitivity and specificity of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in studies during the last 10 years that have solely used EBUS-TBNA as a minimally invasive technique, with or without computed tomography or positron-emission tomography screening. The meta-analysis included 1,066 patients from 9 studies who underwent EBUS-TBNA. The results show EBUS-TBNA is a potential technique for the investigation, diagnosis, and staging of non-small cell lung cancer among patients with suspected lung cancer. It has excellent sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. EBUS-TBNA is well tolerated and does not lead to complications in patients. (C) 2013 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons