Comparison in efficacy and safety of forceps biopsy for peripheral lung lesions guided by endobronchial ultrasound-guided sheath (EBUS-GS) and electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy combined with EBUS (ENB-EBUS)

Endobronchial ultrasound-guided sheath (EBUS-GS) and electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy combined with EBUS (ENB-EBUS) are two diagnostic methods used to obtain lung tissue for biopsy of peripheral lung lesions. This study retrospectively summarized the case data of patients who underwent EBUS-GS or ENB-EBUS, both procedures performed at the respiratory endoscopy center of Tangdu Hospital, and the study compared the diagnostic efficacy and complications of the two methods. The study included 93 patients who underwent EBUS-GS and 26 who underwent ENB-EBUS. The diagnostic rates of EBUS-GS and ENB-EBUS were 71.1% and 65.4%, respectively, with no statistical difference (P=0.581). Furthermore, 89.2% of patients in the EBUS-GS group were diagnosed with malignant disease, which was significantly higher than 23.5% diagnosed with malignant disease in the ENB-EBUS group (P=0.00). An analysis of the factors influencing the diagnosis rate showed that the diagnosis rate of EBUS-GS in cases with bronchial signs was 82.5%, which was significantly higher than the 42.9% in the cases in the ENB-EBUS group with bronchial signs (P<0.05). An analysis of the complications showed that the incidence of complications in the EBUS-GS group was 8.4%, and the incidence of complications in the ENB-EBUS group was 3.8%, with no statistical difference (P>0.05). Both EBUS-GS and ENB-EBUS can be used for the diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary disease. However, the diagnostic rate of EBUS-GS is significantly higher than ENB-EBUS in cases with bronchial signs associated with the lesion, and the diagnostic rate of ENB-EBUS in cases with no bronchial signs was higher than that of EBUS-GS with no statistical difference.