A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Fenestrated Cup Forceps Versus Fenestrated Alligator Forceps for Performing Transbronchial Lung Biopsy in Patients With Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disorder characterized by granulomatous inflammation involving various body organs. The diagnosis is based on presence of fulfillment of compatible clinicoradiological features and histologic evidence of non-caseating granuloma after exclusion of other known causes for granulomatous inflammation.1 As the lung and mediastinal lymph nodes are the most commonly involved structures in sarcoidosis, performing various bronchoscopic techniques like endobronchial biopsy (EBB), transbronchial biopsy (TBLB) and transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) are needed for tissue sampling. The diagnostic yield of TBLB in sarcoidosis in stage I and II varies from 31%2 to 69.6%.3 Transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) is performed with flexible bronchoscopy under the effect of local anesthesia and is the most commonly used bronchoscopic procedure to diagnose a wide array of lung diseases. It is performed as an outpatient procedure and is associated with minimal complications such as bleeding, pneumothorax and others.4 The procedure can be performed either as a blindly or under fluoroscopic guidance. The yield of TBLB varies depending upon the extent of disease, size of tissue, number of alveoli, number of biopsies, whether the sample floats or not and the size of forceps.5-12 The diagnostic yield of TBLB in sarcoidosis depends on the radiological stage and varies from 50-65% in stage I to 80 to 85% in stage II.13-15 The diagnostic yield also depends on the number of biopsy specimens (ten in stage I and 4-6 in stage II and III).9,10 In a recent study comprising of 44 patients with 176 samples, the use of alligator forceps yielded larger samples with lesser incidence of complications (major bleeding, alligator v/s cup forceps respectively, 1% v/s 5.7% and pneumothorax, 4.5 %v/s 9.1%). The investigators hypothesize that use of fenestrated alligator forceps in comparison to fenestrated cup forceps will yield larger samples, thereby improving the diagnostic yield and reducing the number of biopsy samples irrespective of the stage of sarcoidosis.

Inclusion criteria

• patients with a clinical diagnosis of sarcoidosis undergoing flexible bronchoscopy
• age group of 12 to 90 years;
• hemodynamically stable (systolic BP > 100 mm Hg without the need of vasopressors); and
• ability to provide informed consent to participate in the study.

Exclusion criteria

• hemoglobin less than 8 gm/dL;
• platelet count of less than 80000;
• bleeding diathesis;
• prothrombin time or activated partial thrombin time prolongation of more than 6 seconds when compared to control;
• baseline room air saturation less than 90%;
• pregnancy; and,
• failure to provide informed consent.