Objective: To investigate the feasibility, clinical efficacy and safety of endobronchial ultasound (EBUS) in children. Methods: The radiological features, EBUS images, pathological results and intraoperative and postoperative complications of 3 cases who underwent EBUS examination and 1 case who underwent EBUS guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Among the 4 cases, 2 were males and 2 were females, with the onset age of 7.4-9.2 years. The child who underwent successful EBUS-TBNA was presented with fever and diagnosed with mediastinal lymphadenopathy before the operation, and the postoperative pathology indicated histiocytic necrotic lymphadenitis (HNL). The other 3 children diagnosed with primary airway tumors, whose pre-operative CT imaging found no infiltration in extra-bronchial structures, had the masses resected through EBUS. According to postoperative pathological findings, two were diagnosed with mucoepidermoid carcinoma and one with bronchial leiomyoma. The lesions were located at the opening of the right main bronchus in 1 case and at the main airway in 2 cases. EBUS showed abnormal echogenicity of the tracheal wall in the 3 cases, including hyperechoic area in the water capsule and mucous layer, relatively hypoechoic area in the submucosal smooth muscle layer, hyperechoic area in the inner cartilage layer, hypoechoic in the cartilage layer and hyperechoic in the outer cartilage layer. In one case, structural disorder of the submucosal smooth muscle layer and partial disruption of the cartilage layer of the tracheal wall were found at the lesion site, while the other 2 cases had intact tracheal wall structure. There were no postoperative complications such as pneumothorax or hemoptysis in the 4 children. Conclusion: EBUS is a safe and feasible technique for evaluating mediastinal lymph node enlargement and the degree of airway wall infiltration in primary airway tumor.
目的： 探讨支气管腔内超声（EBUS）技术在儿童临床应用中的作用、安全性和可行性。 方法： 对1例气道EBUS引导下经支气管针吸活检（EBUS-TBNA）和3例经EBUS检查患儿的临床表现、影像学特点、病理结果和术中术后并发症进行回顾性分析。 结果： 4例患儿（男2例、女2例）年龄为7.4~9.2岁。EBUS-TBNA患儿（例1）术前诊断发热、纵隔淋巴结肿大原因待查，术后淋巴结活检病理结果为组织细胞坏死性淋巴结炎。3例经EBUS探查患儿为原发性气道肿瘤，术前CT未见气管腔外浸润，经支气管镜介入切除气道内肿瘤后病理诊断黏液表皮样癌2例、支气管平滑肌瘤1例。病灶部位分别为右主支气管开口1例、主气道2例。EBUS下依次可显示气管壁最内层强回声区（水囊和黏膜层）、较低回声区（黏膜下平滑肌层）、强回声区（软骨内层）、低回声区（软骨层）、强回声区（软骨外缘层）。1例患儿（例3）病灶处气管壁黏膜下平滑肌层结构紊乱，软骨层部分中断，其余2例未见气管壁受累。4例患儿术后均无气胸、咯血等并发症。 结论： EBUS对儿童原因不明纵隔淋巴结肿大诊断和原发性气道肿瘤气管壁浸润程度诊断具有良好的诊断效果，是一种安全、可行的技术。.