Endobronchial ultrasound in pediatric pulmonology

Abstract

Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is a recently introduced technique that has significantly advanced bronchoscopic techniques in adult medicine. Use of ultrasound allows far more accurate localization and sampling of both peripheral pulmonary as well as mediastinal and hilar lesions. This has led to greater diagnostic success, with a reduced rate of complications. Its performance characteristics in adult populations are equivalent to surgical procedures previously considered gold standard, but it has dramatically reduced morbidity and mortality among patients requiring invasive diagnostic procedures, when compared to surgical approaches. We describe the types of EBUS in clinical use, the metho..