FRIDAY, Nov. 11, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) can identify pulmonary thromboembolism, according to a study published online Nov. 3 in the Journal of Clinical Ultrasound.
Onur Fevzi Erer, M.D., from the Izmir Training and Research Hospital for Thoracic Medicine and Surgery in Turkey, and colleagues reviewed 548 EBUS procedures that were performed for various indications.
The researchers found that in four cases (0.7 percent), filling defects were demonstrated in central pulmonary arteries while sampling mediastinal lymph nodes with EBUS-guided transbronchial needle aspiration. To confirm the diagnosis of pulmonary thromboembolism, all patients then underwent contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the thorax. Three of the four patients were found to have concomitant lung cancer.
"In conclusion, central arteries in the mediastinum should be carefully evaluated during all EBUS procedures to detect incidental pathologies, especially in patients who have proven lung cancer or are highly suspect of a lung malignancy," the authors write.
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