Guidance
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued full guidance to the NHS in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration for mediastinal masses.
Description
This procedure can be used for patients who are being tested for various diseases, including lung cancer. Under local or general anaesthesia, a thin flexible telescope (bronchoscope) is inserted via the patient's mouth into the lungs. Images of the region between the two lungs (the mediastinum) are obtained using an ultrasound probe attached to the bronchoscope. The operator uses these images as a guide when taking samples of cells from masses suspected of disease. The aim of the procedure is to help reach a diagnosis and establish whether the disease has spread.
Coding and clinical classification codes for this guidance