P219 Is there a role for conventional transbronchial needle aspiration in the endobronchial ultrasound era?

Introduction and ObjectivesIt is believed by some that endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) will render conventional transbronchial needle aspiration (cTBNA) obsolete. We sought to explore this question.MethodsData on both conventional (n=33) and a randomly selected equal number of EBUS-guided TBNA (n=33), performed to biopsy mediastinal lymph nodes (LN), between August 2008 and May 2010, were extracted from a prospective database of bronchoscopy procedures. Measured variables were age, sex, sampled LN stations and sizes, sample results and final diagnoses for LN and underlying patient diagnosis.ResultsThirty-eight LN from 4 different LN stations in the cTBNA group and 46 LN from 5 different LN stations in the EBUS group were sampled. LN were significantly larger in the cTBNA group (median 2.65 cm, range 0.90–7.00 cm) compared to the EBUS-TBNA group (median 1.45 cm, range 0.60–3.00 cm; p