Elena Maria Parazzini

Transbronchial needle aspiration in peripheral pulmonary lesions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Fluoroscopy-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) has long been used in the diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs), although its diagnostic performance varies considerably. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the accuracy of TBNA in the diagnosis of PPLs, comparing its diagnostic yield with transbronchial biopsy (TBB) and assessing the main predictors of a successful aspirate. In 18 studies, the overall TBNA yield was 0.53 (95% CI 0.44–0.61). TBNA showed a higher accuracy when directly compared to TBB (0.60 (95% CI 0.49–0.71) versus 0.45 (95% CI 0.37–0.54)). The subgroup analyses documented a higher TBNA yield when the computed tomography (CT) bronchus sign was present (0.70 (95% CI 0.63–0.77) versus 0.51 (95% CI 0.38–0.64)), when rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) was performed (0.62 (95% CI 0.43–0.79) versus 0.51 (95% CI 0.42–0.60)), in the case of malignant lesions (0.55 (95% CI 0.44–0.66) versus 0.17 (95% CI 0.11–0.24)) and for lesions >3 cm (0.81 (95% CI 0.73–0.87) versus 0.55 (95% CI 0.47–0.63)). Conventional TBNA is a useful sampling technique for the diagnosis of PPL, with a higher diagnostic yield than TBB. The presence of CT bronchus sign, an underlying malignant process, lesion size >3 cm and ROSE employment are predictors of a higher yield. Fluoroscopy-guided transbronchial needle aspiration is a useful technique in diagnosing peripheral pulmonary lesions http://ow.ly/4mK0sB

Point-of-Care Lung Sonography: An Audit of 1150 Examinations

Point‐of‐care lung sonography has theoretical usefulness in numerous diseases; however clinical indications and the impact of this technique have not been fully investigated. We aimed to describe the current use of point‐of‐care lung sonography.

Observational, multicentre study on the epidemiology of haemoptysis

Haemoptysis, which is a challenging symptom accounting for 10–15% of all pulmonology consultations, may be associated with life-threatening medical conditions such as lung cancer [1–7]. Malignancy is the main haemoptysis aetiology in our Italian cohort http://ow.ly/goUb30gRT5b

Huge Tracheal Diverticulum in a Patient with Mounier-Kuhn Syndrome

Tracheal diverticulum is a rare benign entity. Tracheobronchomegaly (TBM), also known as Mounier-Kuhn syndrome, is a rare disorder characterized by marked dilation of the trachea and main bronchi, associated with thinning or atrophy of the elastic tissue. Because of the weakened trachea and increased intraluminal pressure related to chronic cough, some patients may develop mucosal herniation leading to tracheal diverticulosis. We report the case of a patient with TBM with a huge tracheal diverticulum, diagnosed by bronchoscopy and computed tomography with three-dimensional reconstruction. to our knowledge this is the largest tracheal diameter described in a patient affected by this syndrome. LEARNING POINTS Tracheal diverticulum is a rare condition that should be considered in the presence of bronchopulmonary disorders characterized by chronic cough and repeated bronchial infection, such as Mounier-Kuhn syndrome. The differential diagnosis of tracheal diverticulum includes laryngocele, pharyngocele, Zenker’s diverticulum, apical lung hernia and lung bullae. Bronchoscopy and CT scans with three-dimensional reconstruction are useful tools for diagnosing this rare condition.