Table 2. Proportion of adequate EBUS-TBNA samples in 485 non-small cell lung cancer patients, as related to needle gauge, specimen preparation technique and center.
| Factors | Adequate sample rate [%] | P value |
|---|---|---|
| Biopsy needle gauge | <0.001 | |
| 21-G | 176/178 [99] | |
| 22-G | 260/307 [85] | |
| Specimen preparation | <0.001 | |
| Core-tissue | 62/64 [97] | |
| Cytology slides with ROSE | 32/40 [80] | |
| Cytology slides without ROSE | 35/43 [81] | |
| Cell-block | 217/248 [88] | |
| Cell-block + cytology slides | 90/90 [100] | |
| Center | <0.001 | |
| Milan | 194/222 [87] | |
| Bergamo | 98/98 [100] | |
| Varese | 76/77 [99] | |
| Brescia | 41/58 [71] | |
| Verona | 27/30 [90] |
ROSE, rapid on-site evaluation.