The Usefulness of Mediastinal Cryobiopsy in the Diagnosis of Mediastinal Lymphadenopathy in HIV Patients.

INTRODUCTION

Mediastinal diseases in HIV patients show complex diagnostic challenges due to opportunistic infections and rare neoplasms. While Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is a key technique, its effectiveness is limited as it only provides cytological samples. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided mediastinal cryobiopsy (CryoEBUS) emerges as a promising alternative, yielding larger and higher-quality samples. This study, the first in Mexico and the first worldwide in HIV patients, evaluates its diagnostic efficacy compared to EBUS-TBNA, highlighting its potential to improve disease management in immunocompromised populations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A prospective cross-sectional study has been conducted from April 2023 to October 2023 at a tertiary center for respiratory diseases in Mexico, evaluating the usefulness of the endobronchial ultrasound-guided mediastinal cryobiopsy (CryoEBUS) diagnostic in HIV-positive patients with mediastinal lymphadenopathy ≥1cm. Patients underwent CryoEBUS, with outcomes assessed via pathology and microbiology reports.

RESULTS

Eleven patients were included (64% male, mean age 39.1 years). CryoEBUS yielded diagnostic results in 82% of cases compared to 72% for bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and 50% for EBUS alone. Combined CryoEBUS and BAL demonstrated the highest yield (91%).

CONCLUSION

In patients with HIV and mediastinal lymphadenopathy, mediastinal cryobiopsy has proven to be a useful, effective technique with a high diagnostic yield, especially for benign pathologies. It has also proven to be a safe technique and when combined with other lung sampling techniques, it improves the diagnostic yield of infectious diseases and rare neoplasms.