CrYobiopsy With Radial UltraSound Guidance (CYRUS)...
Phase: NA
Conditions: Pulmonary Disease
Sponsor: Vanderbilt University Medical Center

CrYobiopsy with Radial UltraSound 
Guidance (CYRUS) - a Randomized 
Controlled Study
NCT03506295
December 12, 2017

Radial Endobronchial Ultrasound 
Guided Transbronchial Cryobiopsy - a 
Randomized Controlled Study PI: 
Fabien Maldonado, MD 
1 
General Study Information 
Principal Investigator: Fabien Maldonado, MD 
Co-investigators:  Jasleen Pannu, MD, Otis Rickman, DO, Robert J Lentz, MD; Heidi Chen, PhD, Katrina 
Douglas, BA, Charla Walston, ACNP 
Research Coordinator:  Lance Roller, MS 
Title:  CrYobiopsy with Radial UltraSound Guidance (CYRUS) - a Randomized Controlled Study 
Protocol Version Number and Date: Protocol Version 11, Date: 12/12/2017 
Purpose 
Hypothesis 
Transbronchial cryobiopsy carries a higher chance of establishing pathological diagnosis in diffuse parenchymal 
lung disease (DPLD) than traditional transbronchial forceps guided biopsy1. It is a novel technique capable of 
obtaining large, high-quality samples of lung tissue in a minimally invasive manner. This procedure may 
decrease the need for surgical lung biopsy in 75% of cases2. However, there is an increased risk of 
pneumothorax and airway bleeding compared to traditional transbronchial forceps guided biopsy3.  
Several strategies are used by practitioners of this technique to mitigate the risks of significant bleeding and 
pneumothorax. These include prophylactic placement of an endobronchial blocker, the use of fluoroscopy 
guidance, instillation of cold saline to promote vasoconstriction, and establishment of a secure airway with 
endotracheal tube placement or rigid bronchoscopy4.   
Vanderbilt University Medical Center is one of the most active centers in terms of cryobiopsies performed as 
part of the diagnostic workup of DPLD. Currently all transbronchial cryobiopsies here are performed under 
fluoroscopic guidance, with endotracheal tube intubation and endobronchial blocker placement5. Despite these 
precautions, post biopsy bleeding complications occur and can substantially lengthen the duration of the 
procedure and occasionally expose patients to procedural complications. 
Radial ultrasound has been well utilized to define anatomy of peripheral lung and localization of peripheral 
pulmonary nodules6. We postulate that using radial ultrasound to identify peribronchial lung parenchyma with 
low vascularity will mitigate the risk of hemorrhage during peripheral lung cryobiopsy in patients with DPLD 
and hence improve patient safety.  
Aims and Objectives 
To study the impact of radial probe ultrasound guidance for localization of areas of low vascularity to decrease 
bleeding complications after cryobiopsies.  

Radial Endobronchial Ultrasound 
Guided Transbronchial Cryobiopsy - a 
Randomized Controlled Study PI: 
Fabien Maldonado, MD 
 
 
 
 
 
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Expected Outcomes  
We anticipate that using radial ultrasound guidance during transbronchial cryobiopsy will result in decreased 
bleeding. This will be measured by time spent to achieve hemostasis after each biopsy (primary endpoint). Other 
endpoints will include grade of bleeding after each biopsy, use of additional modalities to control bleeding, size 
of biopsy, histologic evidence of vascular structures and histologic diagnosis (secondary endpoints).  
Background 
Diffuse parenchymal lung diseases comprise a group of noninfectious, non-neoplastic lung diseases, each 
characterized by varying degrees of inflammation or fibrosis of the parenchyma of both lungs. The 
differentiation of these disorders may require biopsy material, particularly in patients with atypical clinical or 
radiological presentations. Cryobiopsies offer specialists the advantage of being able to collect much larger 
specimens than can be collected with forceps biopsy, while preserving the underlying lung architecture (no 
crush artifact). The biggest disadvantage of cryobiopsy is a higher risk of procedural bleeding and, to a lesser 
extent, pneumothorax than conventional transbronchial lung biopsies.  
Existing cryobiopsy literature is significantly limited by lack of procedure standardization, variable diagnostic 
endpoints and non-uniform grading of complications.  Surgical lung biopsy, currently the gold standard for 
histological diagnosis of DPLD, is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The rate of in-hospital 
mortality following SLB for DPLD was recently found to be 1.7% in a large dataset, with a complication rate of 
30% (including post-operative pneumothorax, pneumonia, respiratory failure)7. Mortality was slightly lower at 
1.5% for elective operations but markedly higher at 16% for operations labeled “non-elective,” presumably 
performed in the setting of acute disease exacerbations. Clearly, less invasive strategies, such as cryobiopsy, are 
urgently needed. 
Recent studies demonstrate that there might be a trend toward more bleeding complications with transbronchial 
cryobiopsies8. The increased risk of bleeding is due to the larger biopsies thus obtained, and the necessity to 
retrieve bronchoscope and cryoprobe en-bloc as biopsies are too large to be pulled through he working channel 
of the bronchoscope, preventing the proceduralist from keeping he bronchoscope wedged in the biopsied 
segment allowing bleeding tamponade. 9Accordingly, most proceduralists perform cryobiopsy with prophylactic 
placement of bronchial blocker positioned proximal to the selected lobe to occlude the segmental airway after 
biopsy. While this technique has essentially eliminated the risk of life-threatening bleeding after cryobiopsies, 
significant bleeding complications persist and can occasionally substantially lengthen the duration of the 
procedure, leading to premature termination and potentially quantitatively inadequate biopsy acquisition.  
Conceptually it seems that the ability to select a less vascular area for a somewhat larger cryobiopsy may result 
in decreased risk of hemorrhage and/or reduction in bleeding severity. Average peripheral cryobiopsy size 
varies significantly and may be dependent on freezing time and cryoprobe size10-12. Increase in resource 
utilization due to the use of radial ultrasound could be offset by a decrease in complication rate, decreased 
procedural time and potentially decreased endobronchial blocker need. This use of radial probe ultrasound use 

Radial Endobronchial Ultrasound 
Guided Transbronchial Cryobiopsy - a 
Randomized Controlled Study PI: 
Fabien Maldonado, MD 
 
 
 
 
 
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has not been widely reported in literature except for a recent single center retrospective review of 10 patients 
undergoing transbronchial cryobiopsies for ILD(Berim, 2017). Six of these patients underwent vascular 
localization with radial probe endobronchial localization with trends towards less bleeding.  
The purported benefit of radial ultrasound-guided transbronchial cryobiopsy is the avoidance of excessive 
bleeding, which has been associated with this procedure. With the systematic use of a prophylactic bronchial 
blocker, an ideal endpoint for this pilot study would be the time spent obtaining each biopsy. We propose to 
study in a prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled fashion, the efficacy of radial endobronchial 
ultrasound (in combination with fluoroscopy) guided transbronchial cryobiopsy as compared to conventional 
fluoroscopy guided cryobiopsy in reducing time needed to achieve hemostasis (primary endpoint) and need for 
additional modalities to control bleeding and size of biopsies obtained (secondary endpoints). 
Subject Information  
 
All consecutive patients referred to outpatient interventional pulmonology for diagnostic transbronchial 
cryobiopsy will be screened for study inclusion.  
Target accrual  
Based on our power calculation, we plan for 40 total biopsies to be randomized 1:1(block of 4) to the intervention 
(radial probe ultrasound + fluoroscopy guidance) or the control group (fluoroscopy guidance only).  
Inclusion criteria: 
1. Referral to interventional pulmonary services for diagnostic transbronchial cryobiopsy for diffuse 
parenchymal lung disease. 
2. Transbronchial cryobiopsy is determined to be appropriately indicated as determined by consulting 
interventional pulmonologist. 
3. Age > 18 years 
 
Exclusion criteria: 
1. Inability to provide informed consent 
2. Study subject has any condition that interferes with safe completion of the study including: 
a. Coagulopathy, with criteria left at the discretion of the operator 
b. Respiratory insufficiency with DLCO < 30% or baseline requirements of oxygen >2 liters 
c. Hemodynamic instability with systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg or heart rate > 120 
beats/min, unless deemed to be stable with these values by the attending physicians 
3. Patients representing vulnerable populations (prisoners, pregnant women, etc.) 
 
 
Enrollment 

Radial Endobronchial Ultrasound 
Guided Transbronchial Cryobiopsy - a 
Randomized Controlled Study PI: 
Fabien Maldonado, MD 
 
 
 
 
 
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The screening and enrollment of subjects will be done by a study coordinator or an investigator who is a 
member of the research team. The study coordinator will be responsible for ensuring and reporting subject 
screening for study eligibility. Once the investigator has determined the subject’s eligibility for the study, the 
background of the proposed study and the benefits and risks of the study and procedures will be explained to the 
subject as a part of consenting process. After consenting, subjects will be considered enrolled if they meet all 
the inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria. Subjects who fail to meet any of the entry criteria will 
be excluded from the study and considered a screen failure.   
Informed Consent 
 
The informed consent will be obtained by the study coordinator or one of the investigators of the study with 
clear description of the purpose and procedures of the study, the implications for enrolled patients in terms of 
clinical care whether they decide to participate in the study or not, the potential risks and benefits of the study. It 
will be made clear to participants that they will be a liberty to withdraw from the study at any point or decline 
participation outright without impacting their level of clinical care. Oral and written consent will be obtained, 
with the signed informed consent archived in the research department of the Division of Pulmonary & Critical 
Care at Vanderbilt University, with a copy kept in the patient’s electronic medical records. The patient will be 
furnished with a copy of the signed study documents for his or her personal records.   
 
Study Design  
Study Procedures 
Randomization Process and Subject blinding 
All patients undergoing peripheral lung cryobiopsy for diffuse parenchymal lung disease will be offered 
participation in the study per the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The primary bronchoscopist will select appropriate 
general areas of lung parenchyma for cryobiopsy per review of available computerized tomographic scan of the 
chest and per standard clinical protocol. Procedures will be performed by an attending interventional 
pulmonologist or interventional pulmonary fellow under direct supervision in a dedicated bronchoscopy 
operating room with standard monitoring at least 7 days after last antiplatelet or anticoagulant medication use. 
All procedures, except for the radial ultrasound use which is a non-invasive imaging tool, are standard of care 
and are not modified for the purpose of this procedure. 
1. After topical anesthesia of the oropharynx, vocal cords, and upper trachea with lidocaine each subject 
will be intubated with an 8.5 mm wire reinforced endotracheal tube (Smiths Medical, St Paul, MN) 
advanced over flexible bronchoscope (Olympus XT180 or BF-1TH190; Olympus America Inc., Center 
Valley, PA).  
2. Oxygen will be delivered per tube but the cuff will not be inflated unless indicated to assist ventilation.  
3. A procedural pause/time out will be performed, during which patient identity, type of the procedure, and 
presence of signed consent documents will be confirmed in the presence of the patient, the proceduralist, 
and a nurse per standard VUMC protocol.  

Radial Endobronchial Ultrasound 
Guided Transbronchial Cryobiopsy - a 
Randomized Controlled Study PI: 
Fabien Maldonado, MD 
 
 
 
 
 
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4. A certified registered nurse anesthetist will provide intravenous deep sedation and adequate spontaneous 
respiratory effort will be maintained as much as possible.  Paralytics will be used only if adequate 
sedation and spontaneous assisted ventilation cannot be safely co-maintained.  
5. Areas of significant abnormality on pre-procedure computed tomography scan will be targeted. The 
lower lobes will be preferentially biopsied, attempts will be made to take each biopsy was taken from a 
different segment. As per standard of care, 4 biopsies will be obtained per patient, all from different 
segments and at least from two different lobes. Only one lung will be biopsied. 
6. Real-time fluoroscopy will be used in all cases to guide the radial probe ultrasound and/or cryobiopsy 
probe placement.  
7. In the control group,  
a. A 1.9 mm diameter carbon dioxide-cooled cryoprobe measuring 90 cm in length (ERBE 
Elektromedizin GmBH, Tubingen, Germany) will be advanced until resistance is felt or the 
probe is seen fluoroscopically to reach the pleura.  
b. Secondary bronchoscopist will be called into the room after prompted so by study coordinator.  
c. After pulling back 1.5 to 2 cm, the cryoprobe will be activated for 5 seconds before cryoprobe 
and bronchoscope are pulled out of the airway en bloc.  
d. A prophylactic bronchial blockade using a 7 Fr endobronchial blocker (Arndt; Cook Medical, 
Bloomington, IN) will be inflated by the bedside assistant while the bronchoscope is out of the 
airway after each biopsy.  
 
 
8. In the intervention group,   
a) Radial ultrasound probe (Olympus UMS20-17S) will be passed under fluoroscopic guidance into the 
subsegmental branches of the target lobe and will be advanced until resistance is felt or the probe is 
seen fluoroscopically to reach the pleura.  
b) After pulling back 1.5 to 2 cm radial probe will be positioned 1 to 2 cm away from pleural surface 
and activated.  
c) Absence of ultrasonographically identifiable vasculature will be confirmed. Ultrasound probe will 
then be slowly withdrawn until pulmonary vasculature is noted.  
d) If at least 1 cm area with absence of sonographically identifiable vasculature cannot be obtained, 
alternative airway will be selected and process repeated.  
e) Once the target area for biopsy was established, a 1.9-mm cryoprobe (ERBE 20416-033) will be 
passed through the bronchoscope into the target area and positioned at the same position as the radial 
probe.  
f) Secondary bronchoscopist will be called into the room after prompted so by study coordinator. 
Radial ultrasound image will be erased before his arrival to maintain blinding. 
g) A 5 seconds cryoprobe activation will performed by calling out freeze time by the primary 
bronchoscopist. 
h) Bronchoscope and cryoprobe will then removed en bloc. 
i) A prophylactic bronchial blockade using a 7 Fr endobronchial blocker (Arndt; Cook Medical, 
Bloomington, IN) will be inflated by the bedside assistant while the bronchoscope is out of the 
airway after each biopsy.  
 

Radial Endobronchial Ultrasound 
Guided Transbronchial Cryobiopsy - a 
Randomized Controlled Study PI: 
Fabien Maldonado, MD 
 
 
 
 
 
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9. At the time of removal of the bronchoscope and cryoprobe en bloc the study coordinator will start the 
stop watch to start recording time to achieve hemostasis. 
10. The cryobiopsy will be submerged in room temperature saline to rapidly thaw and release the tissue, 
allowing the cryoprobe to be removed.  
11. Bronchoscope will be switched to secondary bronchoscopist 
12. Bronchoscope will be quickly reintroduced into the airway to confirm inflation and position of the 
bronchial blocker occluding the biopsied airway.  
13.  At the discretion of the secondary bronchoscopist, strategies to achieve hemostasis will be carried out 
including iced saline, suction, tamponade and re-inflation of blocker, patient repositioning etc. A rigid 
bronchoscope will be immediately available to manage complications as per standard of care.  
14. After satisfactory hemostasis is obtained and it is considered safe to proceed with next cryobiopsy, the 
secondary bronchoscopist (blinded to biopsy technique) states out loud “Ready for new biopsy”. This 
way the study coordinator will be prompted to stop the stop watch, time recorded and scope will be 
handed back to primary bronchoscopist and secondary bronchoscopist will exit the operating room. 
15. At the discretion of the operator the process will be repeated in different location in the same lobe to 
achieve up to 4 biopsies.  
 
 
Process of Randomization and Blinding: 
 
1: 1 randomization will be performed with random permuted blocks of 4 to randomize allocation 
between intervention and control arms. 
Each biopsy will be randomly allocated into intervention (radial probe ultrasound and fluoroscopy 
guided) and control (fluoroscopy-guided) groups by opening an opaque study envelope just prior to 
starting the procedure containing group assignment.  
Patients and Blinding Process 
Patients will be informed that as a part of the trial we plan to obtain 4 cryobiopsies(2 with radial probe 
assistance and 2 without). This is also the same as average number of biopsies we obtain in patients who 
are not a part of this trial as a standard of care. The criteria to stop the procedure earlier if needed are the 
same as those for patients not on this trial. 
Patient will receive cryobiopsy by both intervention and control modalities unless the procedure has to 
be terminated prematurely, as standard of care.  
Proceduralists and Blinding Process: 
Three proceduralists will be involved in the procedure.  Primary bronchoscopist will perform the 
localization of the biopsy spot as described above, after the biopsy is determined to be in the control or 
the intervention group. He/she will also then perform the cryobiopsy per protocol. A bedside assistant 
will be assisting in managing the endobronchial blocker at all times. He/she will inflate the 
endobronchial blocker balloon as soon as the bronchoscope is removed en-bloc with the cryoprobe.  

Radial Endobronchial Ultrasound 
Guided Transbronchial Cryobiopsy - a 
Randomized Controlled Study PI: 
Fabien Maldonado, MD 
 
 
 
 
 
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Secondary bronchoscopist will be stationed outside the bronchoscopy OR during this initial part of the 
procedure (localization and obtaining cryobiopsy). He will then be prompted to enter the room by 
research coordinator and take control of the bronchoscope. Secondary bronchoscopist, will be blinded to 
the use or non-use of radial probe ultrasound for that particular biopsy. Research coordinator will be 
present at all times and will coordinate the switching process between the proceduralists. Attention will 
be paid that the personnel present in the room does not mention the use or non-use radial ultrasound 
probe to the secondary bronchoscopist. The reference image of the radial USG determining the biopsy 
location on monitors will be erased before secondary bronchoscopist enters the room to maintain 
blinding. 
Recording of Outcomes 
The time to achieve hemostasis will be recorded with help of a stop watch by the study coordinator in the 
operating room. Stop watch will be turned on from the time bronchoscope and the cryoprobe are removed en 
bloc after obtaining cryobiopsy and turned off at the time it is determined to be safe to proceed to the next 
cryobiopsy (secondary bronchoscopist, blinded to biopsy technique states out loud ”Ready for new biopsy”.   
The procedure can be terminated prematurely, as standard of care, if any the following occur: 
1. Significant bleeding precluding obtaining further cryobiopsy 
2. Hemodynamic instability 
3. Respiratory instability 
4. At the primary bronchoscopist’s discretion 
 
Post-procedure PA/lateral chest radiograph will be performed to assess for development of pneumothorax as per 
standard of care.  
 
Outcomes: 
Primary endpoint:  
 
1. Time to achieve hemostasis after obtaining cryobiopsy:  
 
This is defined as time from when the bronchoscope and cryoprobe are removed en bloc after obtaining the 
cryobiopsy to the time when it is determined to be safe to proceed to next cryobiopsy(“Ready for next biopsy”).  
 
This study is a randomized controlled trial designed to test the hypothesis that the time to achieve hemostasis in 
cryobiopsy performed with additional radial probe guidance will be less than that of cryobiopsy performed 
without radial probe ultrasound localization of presence of vasculature. The estimated minimal clinically 
important difference is 60 seconds. 
Secondary endpoints: 

Radial Endobronchial Ultrasound 
Guided Transbronchial Cryobiopsy - a 
Randomized Controlled Study PI: 
Fabien Maldonado, MD 
 
 
 
 
 
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1. Grade of bleeding 
2. Additional interventions used to manage bleeding – cold saline, patient positioning, rigid bronchoscopy, 
embolization, etc. 
 
All biopsies are currently being independently analyzed as part of our ongoing QI project COOL_HUES 
(IRB#161260). This will allow us to collect following secondary end points: 
 
3. Biopsy specimen quality 
4. Biopsy size 
 
 
Variables recorded: 
• Past medical history 
• Demographic data  
• Smoking history 
• Current medications 
• Laboratory data (complete blood count, electrolytes, creatinine, coagulation profile if available) 
 
Statistical methodology 
Power calculation 
The primary goal of this study is to compare the performing cryobiopsy with and without use of radial 
ultrasound.  The primary endpoint of the study is time needed for each biopsy. Without the use of radial 
ultrasound, we observed time needed for one biopsy (min) of 2 ± 1 (mean ± SD).  We usually perform 4 
biopsies in each patient in practice. Thus, we plan to randomize the biopsies into convention (without use of 
radial ultrasound) and intervention arms (with use of radial ultrasound) within each patient.  Sample size is 
calculated from paired t-test. Compared to the convention arm, a sample size of 10 patients achieves 80% power 
to detect 1 minute decrease in the intervention arms with type 1 error of 0.05. 
Statistical analysis plan 
Descriptive statistics including means, standard deviations, and ranges for continuous parameters, as well as 
percentages and frequencies for categorical parameters will be presented.  Investigations for outliers and 
assumptions for statistical analysis, e.g., normality and homoscedasticity will be made.  If necessary, data will 
be transformed using Box-Cox power transformation. Comparisons between groups, i.e. intervention vs control, 
will be made using either the t-test or Wilcoxon Rank Sum test for continuous variables time to achieve 
hemostasis, size of biopsy and Chi-square test for categorical variables (such as incidences of pneumothorax, 
grade of bleeding) 
 
Safety 

Radial Endobronchial Ultrasound 
Guided Transbronchial Cryobiopsy - a 
Randomized Controlled Study PI: 
Fabien Maldonado, MD 
 
 
 
 
 
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We do not expect additional safety concerns from this protocol over those incurred during conventional 
transbronchial cryobiopsy explained to all patients undergoing cryobiopsy as part of the clinical informed 
consent. These risks, inherent in the procedure itself, include pneumothorax, bleeding or respiratory failure. We 
do not expect that use of radial ultrasound for additional localization will result in an increased risk for the 
patient. 
Adverse event (AE) 
An adverse event (AE) is any untoward medical occurrence in a patient administered a pharmaceutical product, 
which does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the treatment.   
The procedures being performed, transbronchial cryobiopsy with or without radial probe ultrasound guidance 
are standard of care/routine procedures. There are no research procedures post-treatment, and patients will not 
be followed for study purposes. Only adverse events related to research procedures (the consent process, 
HIPAA compliance, etc.) will be collected. PI will be monitoring all data daily, ensure that PHI is protected and 
review all AEs and SAEs and report all SAEs within 5 business days to the IRB. Serious adverse events will be 
recorded as part of the study. 
 
Serious adverse event (SAE) 
A serious adverse event (SAE) is an undesirable sign, symptom, or medical condition 
which: 
•         is fatal or life-threatening; 
•         requires or prolongs inpatient hospitalization; 
•         results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity; 
•         constitutes a congenital anomaly or birth defect; or 
•         jeopardizes the participant and requires medical or surgical intervention to 
               prevent one of the outcomes listed above. 
 
Events not considered to be serious adverse events are hospitalizations for: 
 
•         routine treatment or monitoring of the studied indication, not associated with any deterioration in 
condition, or for elective procedures 
•         elective or pre-planned treatment for a pre-existing condition that did not worsen 
•         emergency outpatient treatment for an event not fulfilling the serious criteria outlined above and not 
resulting in inpatient admission respite care. 
 
If a massive bleed is encountered after cryobiopsy, the management is initiated with immediate attempt to 
occlude the bleeding airway. Dedicated endobronchial balloon or the bronchoscope itself can be used for this 
purpose. The patient will be then rotated to a lateral position with bleeding side down. Instillation of ice-cold 
saline can help in achievement of hemostasis by causing cold-induced vascular constriction. Selective 
intubation of nonbleeding lung can performed in persistent severe bleeding. Patient can be referred to 
interventional radiology for localization and embolization of the bleeding vessel. Fatality from such hemorrhage 
is extremely rare, however, has been described previously3. 
 

Radial Endobronchial Ultrasound 
Guided Transbronchial Cryobiopsy - a 
Randomized Controlled Study PI: 
Fabien Maldonado, MD 
 
 
 
 
 
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General Instructions for Reporting Serious Adverse Events 
The Institutional Review Board be notified of all SAEs, within 5 business days after the treating institution 
becomes aware of the event. Only AEs related to research procedures will be reported to the IRB. 
 
 
Data and Safety Monitoring 
 
The investigator is responsible for the detection and documentation of events meeting the criteria and definition 
of an AE or SAE, as provided in this protocol. During the study when there is a safety evaluation, the treating 
investigator or site staff will be responsible for detecting, documenting, and report AEs and SAEs, as detailed in 
the protocol. If any problem appropriate for review is identified related to the conduct of this research, the 
Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (APCCM) Data Safety and Monitoring Committee (DSMC) 
will be formally asked to review the study and the situation that required DSMC intervention. 
  
Personnel from the APCCM Division will monitor the trial and may periodically visit the investigative site to 
assure proper conduct of the trial and proper collection of the data. These monitoring visits may occur remotely 
or on-site. The investigator will allow the monitor to review all source documents used in the preparation of the 
case reports.  
  
Data Handling and Record Keeping 
 
Electronic case report forms (eCRF) are required and will be completed for each included participant. The 
completed dataset will not be made available in any form to third parties, except for authorized representatives 
of appropriate Health/Regulatory Authorities, without written permission from Vanderbilt, per the clinical trial 
agreement and patient signed informed consent. 
  
To enable evaluations and/or audits from health authorities and Vanderbilt, the investigator agrees to keep 
records including: The identity of all participants (sufficient information to link records; e.g., hospital records), 
all original signed informed consent forms, copies of all source documents, and detailed records of drug 
disposition. The records should be retained by the investigator in compliance with regulations. 
  
During data entry, range and missing data checks will be automated through REDCap (when appropriate and 
able). The checks to be performed will be documented in the Data Monitoring Plan for the study. Corrections 
will be made by the study site personnel. This will be done on an ongoing basis. 
 
 
General design of the study 
See CONSOR diagram / flow chart attached.  
 
Data Collection: 
Data will be collected using a centralized electronic case report form called REDCap, currently locatable 
at:https://redcap.vanderbilt.edu/.  REDCap is a highly secure, web based, reaserch specific, and customizable 

Radial Endobronchial Ultrasound 
Guided Transbronchial Cryobiopsy - a 
Randomized Controlled Study PI: 
Fabien Maldonado, MD 
 
 
 
 
 
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system that provides HIPPA complaint and study administration capabilities. The system is capable of storing 
basic protocol information (e.g. IRB approval dates, dates for annual renewals) and clinical trials research data, 
and it fully integrates study administration functionality including protocol tracking, patient registration, review 
committee tracking, and SAE tracking, with clinical data management functionality including electronic case 
report forms (eCRF) design, clinical data capture, protocol and regulatory compliance monitoring. 
REDCap allows the investigator to define specific protocol requirements and generate data collection forms. 
REDCap permits specification of study protocols, management of patient enrollment, clinical data entry and 
viewing, and the generation of patient or study-specific reports based on time stamping. REDCap provides 
several reporting features specifically addressing the reporting requirements needed for the DSMC. Data may 
also be exported in a format suitable for import into another database, spreadsheets or analysis 
systems.  REDCap is maintained and supported by Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 
 
Risks 
 
Complications of transbronchial cryobiopsy have been reported with variable incidence in several case series. 
According to recently reported experience at Vanderbilt Medical Center, main complications include 
pneumothorax (approximately 3%), bleeding (3-5%) and respiratory failure (2%). These are standard 
complications of the procedure and we do not expect that using radial ultrasonography additionally for 
localization will be associated with an increased rate of complications given the available data. 
 
Benefits 
 
There is no guarantee that the subjects will receive any benefit from this study.  
 
Payment and Remuneration 
 
Subjects will not be paid to participate in the study. 
 
Costs 
 
There will be no additional costs to subjects for participating in this study. Subjects and/or their insurance 
companies will be responsible for all care provided as part of the diagnostic transbronchial crybiopsy as this 
service is part of the standard of care they would receive for their condition.   
 
 
 
References 
 

Radial Endobronchial Ultrasound 
Guided Transbronchial Cryobiopsy - a 
Randomized Controlled Study PI: 
Fabien Maldonado, MD 
 
 
 
 
 
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1. 
Lentz RJ, Taylor TM, Kropski JA, et al. Utility of Flexible Bronchoscopic Cryobiopsy for Diagnosis of 
Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Diseases. Journal of bronchology & interventional pulmonology 2017. 
2. 
Hagmeyer L, Theegarten D, Treml M, Priegnitz C, Randerath W. Validation of transbronchial 
cryobiopsy in interstitial lung disease-interim analysis of a prospective trial and critical review of the literature. 
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3. 
DiBardino DM, Haas AR, Lanfranco AR, Litzky LA, Sterman D, Bessich JL. High complication rate 
after introduction of transbronchial cryobiopsy into clinical practice at an academic medical center. Annals of 
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4. 
Poletti V, Casoni GL, Gurioli C, Ryu JH, Tomassetti S. Lung cryobiopsies: a paradigm shift in 
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5. 
Lentz RJ, Argento AC, Colby TV, Rickman OB, Maldonado F. Transbronchial cryobiopsy for diffuse 
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challenges. Journal of thoracic disease 2017;9:2186. 
6. 
Memoli JSW, Nietert PJ, Silvestri GA. Meta-analysis of guided bronchoscopy for the evaluation of the 
pulmonary nodule. CHEST Journal 2012;142:385-93. 
7. 
Hutchinson JP, Fogarty AW, McKeever TM, Hubbard RB. In-hospital mortality after surgical lung 
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critical care medicine 2016;193:1161-7. 
8. 
Pajares V, Puzo C, Castillo D, et al. Diagnostic yield of transbronchial cryobiopsy in interstitial lung 
disease: a randomized trial. Respirology 2014;19:900-6. 
9. 
Ravaglia C, Bonifazi M, Wells AU, et al. Safety and diagnostic yield of transbronchial lung cryobiopsy 
in diffuse parenchymal lung diseases: a comparative study versus video-assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy and 
a systematic review of the literature. Respiration 2016;91:215-27. 
10. 
Kropski JA, Pritchett JM, Mason WR, et al. Bronchoscopic cryobiopsy for the diagnosis of diffuse 
parenchymal lung disease. PloS one 2013;8:e78674. 
11. 
Babiak A, Hetzel J, Krishna G, et al. Transbronchial cryobiopsy: a new tool for lung biopsies. 
Respiration 2009;78:203-8. 
12. 
Casoni GL, Tomassetti S, Cavazza A, et al. Transbronchial lung cryobiopsy in the diagnosis of fibrotic 
interstitial lung diseases. PloS one 2014;9:e86716. 
13. 
Berim IG, Saeed AI, Awab A, Highley A, Colanta A, Chaudry F. Radial Probe Ultrasound-Guided 
Cryobiopsy. Journal of bronchology & interventional pulmonology 2017;24:170-3. 
 
 
 

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Guided Transbronchial Cryobiopsy - a 
Randomized Controlled Study PI: 
Fabien Maldonado, MD 
 
 
 
 
 
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Excluded (n=  ) 
 Not meeting inclusion criteria (n= ) 
1.
Referral to interventional pulmonary 
service for diagnostic transbronchial 
cryobiopsy for DPLD. 
2.
Appropriate clinical indication for 
cryobiopsy determine by 
interventional pulmonologist. 
3.
Age > 18 years 
 Meets exclusion criteria (n= ) 

Inability to provide informed consent 

Condition that interferes with safe 
completion of the study including: 
-Coagulopathy 
-Respiratory insufficiency(DLCO< 
30% or baseline requirements of 
oxygen >2 liters 
-Hemodynamic instability SBP 
<90mmHg or heart rate>120, unless 
deemed stable  

Patients representing vulnerable 
populations (prisoners, pregnant 
women, etc. 
 Declined to participate (n= ), other(n=0) 
Analysed (n= ) 
 Excluded from analysis (give reasons) (n= ) 
Analysed (n= ) 
 Excluded from analysis (give reasons) (n= ) 
        Analysis 
Discontinued intervention (give reasons) (n= ) 
Discontinued intervention (give reasons) (n= ) 
     Follow-Up 
Allocated to intervention (n= ) 
 Received allocated intervention (n= ) 
 Did not receive allocated intervention (n= ) 
o Reason 1 
o Reason 2 
Allocated to intervention (n= ) 
 Received allocated intervention (n= ) 
 Did not receive allocated intervention (n= ) 
o Reason 1 
o Reason 2 
Allocation 
     Randomized (n= ) 
Enrollment 
Adult patients referred for 
diagnostic cryobiopsy  
     Assessed for eligibility (n= ) 
 

Radial Endobronchial Ultrasound 
Guided Transbronchial Cryobiopsy - a 
Randomized Controlled Study PI: 
Fabien Maldonado, MD 
14 
PROCEDURE FLOWCHART 
 
Topical anesthesia of the oropharynx, vocal cords, and upper trachea with lidocaine 
Intubation with an 8.5 mm wire reinforced endotracheal tube, deployment of bronchial blocker above the desired 
segment followed by procedural pause and confirmation of informed consent 
CRNA provides IV deep sedation and spontaneous respiratory effort will be maintained as much as possible 
RANDOMIZATION 
INTERVENTION 
CONTROL 
Radial probe passed under fluoroscopy into the subsegmental branches 
of target lobe until resistance felt or seen fluoroscopically to reach 
After pulling back 1.5 to 2 cm radial probe will be positioned 1 to 2 cm 
away from pleural surface and activated.  
Absence of ultra sonographically identifiable vasculature confirmed and 
fluoroscopy reference image is obtained.  
Ultrasound probe then slowly withdrawn until pulmonary vasculature is noted. 
If atleast 1 cm area with absence of sonographically identifiable vasculature 
cannot be obtained, alternative airway will be selected and process repeated.  
1.9-mm cryoprobe passed through the bronchoscope into target 
area guided by previously obtained reference image 
1.9 mm diameter cryoprobe will be advanced until 
resistance is felt or the probe is seen fluoroscopically to 
reach the pleura 
After pulling back 1.5 to 2 cm cryo probe is positioned 1 
to 2 cm away from pleural surface 
5 seconds cryoprobe activation performed by calling out freeze time by proceduralist. 
Bronchoscope and cryoprobe will then removed en bloc and bronchial blocker is 
inflated immediately after. The specimen is placed in fixative after passive thawing 
Secondary bronchoscopist called into the room. 

Radial Endobronchial Ultrasound 
Guided Transbronchial Cryobiopsy - a 
Randomized Controlled Study PI: 
Fabien Maldonado, MD 
15 
 
 
Bronchoscope quickly reintroduced into the airway to confirm inflation and 
position of the bronchial blocker occluding the biopsied airway.  
At the discretion of secondary bronchoscopist, strategies to achieve 
hemostasis will be carried out including iced saline, suction, tamponade 
inflation and deflation of blocker, patient repositioning etc 
After satisfactory hemostasis is obtained and it is considered safe to 
proceed with next cryo biopsy, the secondary bronchoscopist (blinded to 
biopsy technique) states out loud  ”Ready for new biopsy”. 
Bronchoscope will be handed back to primary bronchoscopist and 
secondary bronchoscopist will exit the operating room. 
At the discretion of the primary bronchoscopist the 
process will be repeated in different location in the same 
lobe to achieve up to 4 biopsies 
STOP TIMER 
START TIMER 
SWITCH BRONCHOSCOPISTS 
AT “READY FOR NEW BIOPSY”