Rela Hospital launching EBUS to diagnose lung diseases

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 25 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Rela Hospital, a Multi Speciality Quaternary Care Hospital at Chromepet, Chennai, has launched EBUS (Endobronchial Ultrasound) Bronchoscopy service. Rela Hospital is one of the very few in the city to have this technology.
Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) has emerged as an alternative minimally invasive method and has made redundant the surgical procedure of thoracoscopy for diagnosis or mediastinal staging of lung cancer. The main indications of EBUS include primary diagnosis, staging and restaging of lung cancer, Lymphoma, the staging of extrathoracic malignancies and the diagnosis of granulomatous/infective disease.
Professor Mohamed Rela Chairman - Rela Hospital, said "These are newer interventional pulmonology procedures. We take pride in being able to offer our patients the latest technology and innovation. The EBUS procedure now allows us to provide patients with a quicker way for diagnosing cancers and other diseases of the airway and lungs."
It all started with a 57 yr. old Male, from Chennai, a case of Post Hepatitis C Cirrhosis of the liver and possible Hepato-cellular Carcinoma; who has been advised for a liver transplant. He has been found to have a few indefinite small nodules and atelectatic bands in lung CT scan with some mediastinal nodes. The dilemma for the clinical team was, it could be lung metastasis, in that case, the life-changing surgery may not be possible.
Dr Roy, Clinical Lead, Pulmonology and Interventional Pulmonology, decided to take a histo-pathological sample by obtaining a biopsy of the left hilar lymph node. "This helped in identifying the issue at hand and the EBUS (Endobronchial Ultrasound) Bronchoscope procedure only could able to achieve diagnosis with minimal invasion. EBUS has brought in a sea change towards the diagnostic/ staging process for suspect Lung Cancer.
The procedure in Rela Hospital is done under conscious sedation without making the patient completely anesthetised and thus avoiding the possible side effects of full anaesthesia and also avoiding a higher cost for anaesthesia being practised in fine other hospitals. Immediate Rapid On-Site Evaluation (ROSE) at the endoscopy room itself by our Pathologist confirmed that there are no malignant cells seen in the lymphatic tissue background of the biopsy material bring great joy and relief to the patient's relatives."
Hospital also mentioned that this is a daycare procedure and the patient is discharged the same day. Rela Hospital is currently doing about 3-4 such procedure every week.
The above patient now is back to his usual routine and being prepared for his proposed liver transplant. Complete evaluation at the Pathology dept also confirmed the absence of malignancy in the patient's mediastinal lymph node biopsy material.
Similarly, an international patient, who had undergone a liver transplant three years ago has returned with a lung mass in the left lung. A CT-guided transthoracic fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy of the lung turned out to be non-diagnostic.
That patient also underwent the EBUS bronchoscopy procedure and FNA biopsy via EBUS returned as malignancy by ROSE method immediately during the procedure and confirmed later on also as Lung Cancer on detailed analysis. Here also, EBUS bronchoscopy has brought an edge in diagnosis and staging the Lung Cancer which the standard CT guided biopsy failed to achieve.
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