Conventional transbronchial needle aspiration in community practice

Conventional transbronchial needle aspiration (C-TBNA) provides an opportunity to diagnose mediastinal lesions and stage bronchogenic carcinoma in a minimally invasive fashion. The procedure is easy to learn and requires zero upfront cost. Any community pulmonologist can acquire and maintain the skills of C-TBNA without undergoing formal interventional pulmonary fellowship training. Besides being used for the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer, C-TBNA can be used in patients suspected to have benign conditions such as sarcoidosis and tuberculosis. It also contributes in improving the diagnostic yield of flexible bronchoscopy while dealing with endobronchial, submucosal, peribronchial, or peripheral lesions. C-TBNA may be the only diagnostic modality that can be performed in patients in whom mediastinoscopy is contraindicated due to a bleeding diathesis. The procedure is safe and has great potential to augment the welfare of patients with pulmonary ailments. The learning curve of the procedure is short and steep. Every community pulmonologist should be able to perform C-TBNA.