A new versatile transbronchial cytology needle for the staging and diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma.

A new versatile transbronchial needle, the modified type 2B retractable needle, was used for the staging and diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma. It combines the advantages of its predecessors, the fixed type 1A needle and the retractable type 2A needle, such as convenience of usage and the added ability to sample peripheral as well as central lesions. The new modified type 2B retractable needle provides better protection of the airways and bronchoscope than the fixed type 1A needle and eliminates the type 2A needle's requirement for total removal of the guidewire before aspiration. The new type 2B needle was compared with either the original fixed type 1A or the retractable type 2A needle in 20 patients at 34 transbronchial sites and found a similar diagnostic yield. The modified type 2B retractable needle was the most versatile needle of those studied and can be used for transbronchial needle aspiration of both central and peripheral lesions.