Your consultant may recommend an EBUS if they need a closer look at your lungs or the lymph nodes in your chest. You may also have been referred after a lung cancer screening.
The procedure is typically used to:
- diagnose lung cancer and check if it has spread
- collect sufficient tissue samples to see if targeted treatments may help
- investigate enlarged lymph nodes in the chest
- diagnose conditions such as sarcoidosis or tuberculosis
An EBUS takes between 45 minutes to one hour in total.
Before the procedure, you will need to fast, which means not eating or drinking for six hours beforehand. You will be given clear instructions about when to take your regular medications.
If you are taking any blood thinners, your consultant will advise you on when to pause them. They will also arrange for you to have some blood tests before the procedure.
After the procedure, you’ll be taken to a recovery room while the sedation wears off. This usually doesn’t take long.
You should not eat or drink for up to one hour afterwards. Your throat will still be numb from the anaesthetic, and eating or drinking too soon could increase the risk of choking.
Once you’re fully awake and able to eat and drink, you can go home. If you have had a sedative, you should arrange for someone to pick you up.
It is normal to have a sore throat or to cough up a very small amount of blood after the procedure. These symptoms should settle within a few days.
Ultrasound images are available straight away. Biopsy results usually take five to seven working days. Your consultant will go through your results with you at your follow‑up appointment.
