The diagnostic value of tissue button technique for specimen accusation during endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial fine-needle aspiration.

Introduction: The quality of tissue acquisition during endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is a major determinant of the diagnostic yield of the procedure. In the tissue button (TB) technique, the retrieved cellular specimen is fixed in ethanol and subsequently scraped from slide using surgical blade into formaldehyde and processed like ordinary tissue biopsy thus potentially increasing its diagnostic value.

Objectives: To retrospectively evaluate the diagnostic yield of a TB technique in patients undergoing EBUS-TBNA for various malignant and benign conditions.