Rapid on-site cytologic evaluation by pulmonologist improved diagnostic accuracy of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial biopsy

Background/Purpose: Rapid on-site cytologic evaluation (ROSE) has been shown to improve the diagnostic accuracy of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial biopsy (EBUS-TBB). However, ROSE by a cytopathologist or cytotechnologist is not always available during the procedure. The purposes of th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ching-Kai Lin, I-Shiow Jan, Kai-Lun Yu, Lih-Yu Chang, Hung-Jen Fan, Yueh-Feng Wen, Chao-Chi Ho
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2020-11-01
Series:Journal of the Formosan Medical Association
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092966462030005X
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Summary:Background/Purpose: Rapid on-site cytologic evaluation (ROSE) has been shown to improve the diagnostic accuracy of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial biopsy (EBUS-TBB). However, ROSE by a cytopathologist or cytotechnologist is not always available during the procedure. The purposes of this study were to verify that a pulmonologist, after receiving training in cytology, could accurately assess an EBUS-TBB specimen on-site, and to evaluate the contribution of ROSE to EBUS-TBB. Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent EBUS-TBB for diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs) from January 2014 to June 2017 was performed. PPLs without a malignant diagnosis were excluded. The ROSE result determined by a pulmonologist was compared to the formal imprint cytologic report and pathologic report. The diagnostic accuracy of EBUS-TBB was also compared between those with and without ROSE. Results: Two hundred ninety-three patients who underwent 336 EBUS-TBB procedures for PPL diagnosis and were found to have proven malignancy were enrolled. Eighty-six procedures were performed with ROSE. With the formal imprint cytologic diagnosis as the standard, ROSE had 96.9% sensitivity, 68.2% specificity, 89.9% positive predictive value (PPV), 88.2% negative predictive value (NPV), and 89.5% diagnostic accuracy. With the formal pathologic result as the standard, ROSE had 88.2% sensitivity, 80% specificity, 97.1% PPV, 47.1% NPV, and 87.2% diagnostic accuracy, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy was significantly higher when ROSE was performed during EBUS-TBB (88.4% vs 68.0%, P < 0.001). Conclusion: A trained pulmonologist can interpret adequately cytologic smears on-site and effectively improve the accuracy of EBUS-TBB in the diagnosis of PPLs.
ISSN:0929-6646