Transbronchial Needle Aspiration (TBNA): Past Present and Future

Transbronchial needle aspiration biopsy (TBNA) was developed in the 1980’s as a technique for mediastinal and hilar lymph node biopsy. This offered pulmonologists and patients a minimally invasive technique for mediastinal non-small cell lung cancer staging and served as an alternative to surgical mediastinoscopy. Over the last few decades there are new additions to this technique using guided TBNA with endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) and the use navigational bronchoscopy for peripheral lung TBNA. The future of TBNA may potentially transition from a diagnostic tool to a therapeutic instrument by locally injecting medications.