Poor Concordance between Sequential Transbronchial Lung Cryobiopsy and Surgical Lung Biopsy in the Diagnosis of Diffuse Interstitial Lung Diseases

• Published in: American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine Vol. 199; no. 10; pp. 1249 - 1256
• Main Authors: Romagnoli, Micaela, Colby, Thomas V., Berthet, Jean-Philippe, Gamez, Anne Sophie, Mallet, Jean-Pierre, Serre, Isabelle, Cancellieri, Alessandra, Cavazza, Alberto, Solovei, Laurence, Dell’Amore, Andrea, Dolci, Giampiero, Guerrieri, Aldo, Reynaud, Paul, Bommart, Sébastien, Zompatori, Maurizio, Dalpiaz, Giorgia, Nava, Stefano, Trisolini, Rocco, Suehs, Carey M., Vachier, Isabelle, Molinari, Nicolas, Bourdin, Arnaud
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Thoracic Society 15.05.2019
• Subjects: Accuracy; Aged; Biopsy; Biopsy - methods; Bronchoscopy - methods; Cryosurgery - methods; Female; Human health and pathology; Humans; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis - diagnosis; Life Sciences; Lung diseases; Lung Diseases, Interstitial - diagnosis; Male; Medical diagnosis; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Pulmonology and respiratory tract; Thoracic surgery; Tissues and Organs; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; deep sedation; multidisciplinary approach; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; lung histology; bronchoscopy
• ISSN: 1073-449X; 1535-4970; 1535-4970
• DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201810-1947OC

The diagnostic concordance between transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC)-versus surgical lung biopsy (SLB) as the current gold standard-in interstitial lung disease (ILD) cases requiring histology remains controversial. To assess diagnostic concordance between TBLC and SLB sequentially performed in the same patients, the diagnostic yield of both techniques, and subsequent changes in multidisciplinary assessment (MDA) decisions. A two-center prospective study included patients with ILD with a nondefinite usual interstitial pneumonia pattern (on high-resolution computed tomography scan) confirmed at a first MDA. Patients underwent TBLC immediately followed by video-assisted thoracoscopy for SLB at the same anatomical locations. After open reading of both sample types by local pathologists and final diagnosis at a second MDA (MDA2), anonymized TBLC and SLB slides were blindly assessed by an external expert pathologist (T.V.C.). Kappa-concordance coefficients and percentage agreement were computed for: TBLC versus SLB, MDA2 versus TBLC, MDA2 versus SLB, and blinded pathology versus routine pathology. Twenty-one patients were included. The median TBLC biopsy size (longest axis) was 7 mm (interquartile range, 5-8 mm). SLB biopsy sizes averaged 46.1 ± 13.8 mm. Concordance coefficients and percentage agreement were: TBLC versus SLB: κ = 0.22 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.01-0.44), percentage agreement = 38% (95% CI, 18-62%); MDA2 versus TBLC: κ = 0.31 (95% CI, 0.06-0.56), percentage agreement = 48% (95% CI, 26-70)%; MDA2 versus SLB: κ = 0.51 (95% CI, 0.27-0.75), percentage agreement = 62% (95% CI, 38-82%); two pneumothoraces (9.5%) were recorded during TBLC. TBLC would have led to a different treatment if SLB was not performed in 11 of 21 (52%) of cases. Pathological results from TBLC and SLB were poorly concordant in the assessment of ILD. SLBs were more frequently concordant with the final diagnosis retained at MDA.