Endobronchial Ultrasonography

Book Preface

Gastrointestinal and genitourinary ultrasound technologies have gone through dramatic improvements and growth over the last three decades. However, the pulmonary applications of ultrasound, endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS), started much later, in the early 1990 ’ s.

In the first half of this book we present a comprehensive review of the principals of ultrasound and its application in thoracic medicine. We summarize mediastinal anatomy, the basic technique of needle aspiration of lymph nodes, and how to perform successful endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial aspiration. We also discuss the use of peripheral ultrasound for the localization of pulmonary nodules, and the role of endobronchial ultrasound in interventional pulmonology. This book is an evidence – based refl ection of our collective experience of hundreds of thousands of cases.

The second half of this book focuses on the correlation of EBUS images with the histology and pathology of mediastinal lymph nodes and pulmonary nodules. In our experience, careful and methodical analysis of ultrasound images of these structures could predict the benign vs. malignant nature of these structures with significant sensitivity and specifi city.

Endobronchial ultrasound has truly revolutionized the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer and many other diseases of the mediastinum and lungs. We feel honored to have been a part of its development and dissemination.