Abstract: Objective Compared with endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA), this study aims to explore the diagnostic advantages of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial node biopsy (EBUS-TBNB) in the diagnosis of mediastinal lymph node metastasis, lymphadenitis, sarcoidosis and other mediastinal lymph node diseases associated with mediastinal enlargement in lung cancer and extra-pulmonary tumors. Methods The detection rate of malignant tumor was(14/35, 40%) by EBUS-TBNA and average amount of bleeding during each operation was 1-2 mL; Compared with EBUS-TBNA, the detection rate of malignant tumors by EBUS-TBNB was(23/35, 66%)(P＜0.01), and 4 cases of granulomas were diagnosed, and the average amount of bleeding during each operation was 3-4 mL. Conclusions Compared with EBUS-TBNA, EBUS-TBNB has a higher detection rate for malignant tumors and has more advantages in the diagnosis of benign proliferative diseases. It can further improve the accuracy and sensitivity of diagnosing mediastinal enlarged lymph nodes so is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

Key words: mediastinal lymph nodes, endobronchial ultrasound-guided (EBUS), needle aspiration, node biopsy