Electrobronchial ultrasound, also known as EBUS, is a procedure that helps doctors diagnose various lung diseases and often lung cancer. Doctors also use EBUS to take samples of your lymph nodes to determine why they might be enlarged or if cancer has spread there.
During EBUS, a doctor inserts a small, flexible tube into your airway. An ultrasound device on the end of the tube provides real-time images of your lungs. EBUS is effective because it allows the surgical team to see parts of the lungs that otherwise would be difficult to view. The procedure also provides a minimally method for doctors to evaluate smaller lymph nodes or tumors.
By viewing real-time images produced by the ultrasound device, doctors can precisely extract tissue samples from a targeted area and avoid the surrounding, healthy tissue.
The EBUS procedure usually takes about an hour. Most people recover quickly and go home the same day.
