Background and Objective: Convex probe endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscope (CP-EBUS) has become an essential tool for pulmonologists. Despite the advancement, the existing CP-EBUS with its large distal end outer diameter, long rigid tip segment, and notable oblique viewing angle presents limitations in accessing beyond the mediastinum. To overcome the limitation, Olympus has developed the thin CP-EBUS (TCP-EBUS). This study compared the accessibility and puncturing ability of the TCP-EBUS with BF-UC190F (Olympus) in cadaver models.
Methods: Two cadaver models were utilized for the study, which was approved by the medical ethics committee of Hokkaido University Hospital and conducted in compliance with laws and guidelines. The effectiveness of the TCP-EBUS was evaluated by ten bronchoscopists based on the number of bronchial generations that could be reached. In addition, needle punctures were performed for simulated lesions previously created in segmental bronchial area (10 lesions) and subsegmental bronchial area (9 lesions).
Results: The TCP-EBUS demonstrated farther access into the airways in all segmental bronchi compared to BF-UCP190F, with statistically significant differences (p<.05) except for a few segmental bronchi. The puncture success rates for simulated lesions using the TCP-EBUS were significantly higher compared with BF-UC190F in both the segmental bronchial area (85.0% vs. 60.0%, p<.01) and the subsegmental bronchial area (84.4% vs. 38.9%, p<.01).
Conclusion: The TCP-EBUS significantly improved accessibility and puncturing ability, offering a substantial enhancement over BF-UC190F in the segmental and subsegmental bronchial areas.