Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration in the Diagnosis of Metastatic Thyroid Cancer.

Overview

Since its first application in 1992, endobronchial ultrasound, in conjunction with transbronchial needle aspiration, has proven to be an efficient tool for lung cancer staging. Furthermore, significant benefits have also been shown in the diagnosis of other mediastinal diseases, such as pulmonary sarcoidosis and lymphoma. Its use in the diagnosis of solitary intrapulmonary tumors and preoperative assessment of tracheobronchial invasion from thyroid cancer has also been reported. We present a case of metastatic papillary thyroid cancer diagnosed by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration in a patient with a paratracheal mass. In this case, neither surgical biopsy nor transcutaneous needle biopsy was an option due to a complicated past surgical history and the location of the mass.