Safety and Efficacy of Radial EBUS for the Investigation of Peripheral Pulmonary Lesions in Patients with Advanced COPD

Abstract

Background: Peripheral pulmonary lesion (PPL) is a common scenario in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and represents a high risk of malignancy. Severe COPD is associated with higher complication rates following percutaneous biopsy, and routine bronchoscopy. Safety and diagnostic performance of radial endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscopy (R-EBUS) in patients with advanced COPD has not been previously assessed. Methods: We examined a retrospective cohort of patients with advanced COPD undergoing R-EBUS for the evaluation of PPL. Results: During the study period, 92 patients underwent 94 R-EBUS procedures. In 50 cases, patients had severe obstructive deficit with mea..