Robotic-Assisted Bronchoscopy: A Comprehensive Review of System Functions and Analysis of Outcome Data.

The past two decades have witnessed a revolutionary era for peripheral bronchoscopy. Though the initial description of radial endobronchial ultrasound can be traced back to 1992, it was not until the mid-2000s that its utilization became commonplace, primarily due to the introduction of electromagnetic navigation (EMN) bronchoscopy. While the diagnostic yield of EMN-assisted sampling has shown substantial improvement over historical fluoroscopy-assisted bronchoscopic biopsy, its diagnostic yield plateaued at around 70%.

Lung cancer staging, the established role of bronchoscopy.

Purpose Of Review: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In the absence of distant metastases, accurate mediastinal nodal staging determines treatment approaches to achieve most favourable outcomes for patients. Mediastinal staging differentiates N0/N1 disease from N2/N3 in surgical candidates.

Bronchoscopy and endobronchial ultrasound for diagnosis and staging of lung cancer.

Various techniques, including standard bronchoscopy, transthoracic needle aspiration and mediastinoscopy, are used for diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. Minimizing the number of invasive procedures for lung cancer diagnosis and staging is preferred, however, and a growing number of bronchoscopic techniques are being used. Currently available techniques for the initial diagnosis of lung cancer include electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy with computed tomography mapping and sample collection, endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) using radial or convex probe tips, and the combination of the two approaches.

Hemothorax treated with indwelling tunneled pleural catheter: are all hemothoraces the same?

Historically, patients presenting with a hemothorax of any cause have been treated with tube thoracostomy. We describe 2 patients with a hemothorax successfully treated with an indwelling tunneled pleural catheter. Our cases may suggest a new treatment modality for selected patients with hemothorax.

Mediastinal Infection After Ultrasound-guided Needle Aspiration.

We describe 2 cases of mediastinal abscess developing after endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in patients with thoracic malignancies. The first case was that of a 68-year-old male patient with a history of colon cancer presenting with new mediastinal adenopathy. EBUS-TBNA confirmed metastatic colon adenocarcinoma; however, he developed fever and atrial fibrillation 32 days after the procedure and was diagnosed with mediastinal abscess.

Intrapulmonary bronchogenic cyst and cerebral gas embolism in an aircraft flight passenger.

Although it is estimated that > 1 billion passengers travel by air worldwide each year, the incidence of in-flight emergencies is low. However, due to nonstandardized reporting requirements for in-flight medical emergencies, the true incidence of pulmonary barotrauma in airplane passengers is unknown. We describe the case of a passenger with an asymptomatic intrapulmonary cyst in whom a severe case of cerebral gas embolism developed during an aircraft flight.

Coexistent sarcoidosis and HIV infection: an immunological paradox?

The CD4 lymphocyte plays a pivotal role in both sarcoidosis and HIV infection. Caring for a patient with both conditions represents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. We describe a patient, previously diagnosed with sarcoidosis, who subsequently contracted HIV infection.