Future directions in endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition (EUS-TA) is safe and has a high diagnostic yield. Multiple factors affect the outcome of EUS-TA such as operator experience, procedure technique, needle-type, and cytopathologist training and experience. There have been numerous advances aiming to increase the diagnostic yield of EUS-TA. These include novel devices, modified tissue acquisition techniques, enhancements in EUS imaging, improved tissue processing methods, and increasingly frequent molecular and genetic testing of acquired tissue. Importantly, recent advances in personalized medicine may require greater amounts of tissue to be acquired to guide subsequent oncotherapy. As a result of all these new developments, several additional questions have arisen including defining the precise role of EUS-guided fine-needle biopsy, the optimal technique for EUS-TA, and standardization of tissue processing protocols. This review discusses recent advances and future directions regarding EUS-TA.     

Predictors of malignancy and recommended follow-up for patients with negative endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration of suspected pancreatic lesions

BACKGROUND:

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with fine-needle aspiration (FNA) can characterize and diagnose pancreatic lesions as malignant, but cannot definitively rule out the presence of malignancy. Outcome data regarding the length of follow-up in patients with negative or nondiagnostic EUS-FNA of pancreatic lesions are not well-established.

OBJECTIVE:

To determine the long-term outcome and provide follow-up guidance for patients with negative EUS-FNA diagnosis of suspected pancreatic lesions based on imaging predictors.

METHODS:

A retrospective review of patients undergoing EUS-FNA for suspected pancreatic lesions, but with negative or nondiagnostic FNA results was conducted at a tertiary care referral medical centre. Patient demographics, EUS imaging characteristics and follow-up data were examined.

RESULTS:

Seventeen of 55 patients (30.9%) with negative/nondiagnostic FNA were subsequently diagnosed with pancreatic malignancy. The risk of cancer was significantly higher for patients who had associated lymph nodes on EUS (P<0.001) and vascular involvement on EUS (P=0.001). The mean time to diagnosis in the group with false-negative EUS-FNA diagnosis was 66 days. The true-negative EUS-FNA patients were followed for a mean of 403 days after negative EUS-FNA results without the development of malignancy.

CONCLUSION:

For patients undergoing EUS-FNA for a suspected pancreatic lesion, a negative or nondiagnostic FNA does not provide conclusive evidence for the absence of cancer. Patients for whom vascular invasion and lymphadenopathy are detected on EUS are more likely to have a true malignant lesion and should be followed closely. When a patient has been monitored for six months or more with no cancer being diagnosed, there appears to be much less chance that a pancreatic malignancy is present.     

Statins decrease the risk of acute pancreatitis after endoscopic ultrasound fine-needle aspiration of pancreatic cysts

Background: Basic and clinical studies suggest that statins may prevent and even ameliorate acute pan- creatitis. The present study was to evaluate whether statin decreases the risk of acute pancreatitis in patients undergoing endoscopic ultrasound-guided ne-needle aspiration of pancreatic cysts. Methods: Out of 456 patients with pancreatic cysts referred to our center between 2006 and 2018, 365 were nally included in analyses: 86 were treated with statins and 279 were not at the time of endo- scopic ultrasound ne-needle aspiration. We compared the acute pancreatitis incidence between the two groups, and we also compared other complications such as bleeding and infections. Results: Median age was 64 years [interquartile range (IQR) 62 69] and median cyst size was 24mm (IQR, 21 29). The most frequent histology was intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (45.3% and 42.3% in the two groups, respectively;P =0.98). All 13 patients experiencing post-endoscopic ultrasound acute pancreatitis were from the control group (4.7%), of which 3 were classi ed as severe pancreatitis. None of statin users developed post-procedural acute pancreatitis (odds ratio: 0.15;95% con dence interval: 0.03 0.98;P=0.03). No difference was registered with regard to severe pancreatitis and other complications. Conclusions: Statins exert a bene cial role in preventing acute pancreatitis in patients with pancreatic cysts undergoing endoscopic ultrasound-guided ne-needle aspiration. If con rmed in prospective trials, our ndings may pave the way to an extensive use of statins as prophylactic agents in pancreatic inter- ventional endoscopy.     

Celiac and perigastric lymph node metastasis of prostate cancer diagnosed with endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration

Endoscopic ultrasound has been used to diagnose and stage gastrointestinal and nongastrointestinal tumours. To our knowledge, the present report describes the first case of celiac and perigastric lymph node metastasis of prostate cancer diagnosed with endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration.     

Usefulness of endoscopic ultrasonography in hepatology

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is used to evaluate patients with hepatobiliary diseases. The technique is useful for the diagnosis of esogastric varices in selected cases of portal hypertension, and to evaluate the pathogenic role and prognostic value of the collateral circulation in patients with this condition. When coupled with the Doppler technique, EUS can be used to guide injection sclerotherapy and to verify the obliteration of varices (particularly fundal varices) after endoscopic treatment. Hemodynamic changes induced in the collateral circulation by vasoactive drugs can also be measured with Doppler-EUS. Fine-needle aspiration under EUS guidance is useful in the diagnosis of focal liver lesions and perihepatic adenopathy, and in the evaluation of biliary tract diseases. New indications can be developed in the future after adequate experimental validation.     

超声内镜引导下细针穿刺活检对胰腺实性占位定性诊断价值的Meta分析

目的:系统评价超声内镜引导下细针穿刺活检(EUS-FNA)在胰腺实性占位定性诊断中的价值.方法:计算机检索MEDLINE、Cochrane Library、中国生物医学文献数据库、万方数据库、中国学术期刊全文等数据库,检索时间均为建库至2011-10.全面查找有关EUS-FNA诊断胰腺实性占位的文献,按照诊断试验的纳入标准筛选文献,提取纳入文献的特征信息(研究背景、设计信息和诊断参数信息),根据QUADAS质量评价标准纳入文献的质量.采用Meta-Disc1.4软件进行Meta分析,检验异质性,并根据异质性结果选择相应的效应模型.对纳入文献予以加权定量合并,计算汇总敏感度、特异度、阳性似然比、阴性似然比和诊断优势比及其95%CI,绘制汇总受试者工作特征(SROC)曲线,并计算曲线下面积(AUC).结果:共检索出相关文献280篇,按照文献纳入标准,最终纳入18篇文献(均为英文文献).EUS-FNA对胰腺实性占位定性诊断价值分别为:汇总敏感度为0.90[95%CI(0.89-0.92)],汇总特异度为0.95[95%CI(0.93-0.97)],汇总阳性似然比为13.56[95%CI(8.31-22.15)],汇总阴性似然比为0.12[95%CI(0.10-0.15)],汇总诊断优势比为143.62[95%CI(93.98-219.46)],SROC曲线下面积AUC为0.9711,Q*=0.9215.另外,本研究还对有无病理医生在场指导进行了亚组分析,发现有病理医生在场的AUC为0.9757,Q*=0.9295.且汇总诊断优势比173.37[95%CI(98.09-306.44)],明显较无病理医生在场的113.64[95%CI(60.22-214.46)]高.结论:经SROC曲线证实,EUS-FNA活检在胰腺实性占位定性诊断中具有较高的灵敏度和特异度,尤其是有病理医生在场指导的情况下,可作为临床上胰腺实性占位定性诊断的重要检查手段.     

Usefulness of endoscopic ultrasound for acquiring the pathological diagnosis of gastrointestinal lymphoma

Background and study aimsThis study aims to assess the value of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for acquiring a pathological diagnosis of gastrointestinal lymphoma (GIL).Patients and methodsWe retrospectively reviewed all GIL patients who underwent EUS from November 2011 to July 2020 at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. All patients with pathologically confirmed GIL were included. The characteristics of the lesions were recorded, and the efficacy for acquiring pathologic diagnosis between white light endoscopy (WLE) and EUS was analyzed.ResultsIn total, 404 patients with GIL who underwent EUS examination were included in this study. GIL was confirmed in 143 cases by after EUS judgment biopsy (AEJ biopsy), 11 cases by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA), 293 cases by WLE biopsy, and 10 cases by surgical pathology for repeated negative pathologic results from EUS and WLE. Among all cases, 78.71% (318/404) were T1-T2, whereas 32.18% (130/404) were determined to have multiple lesions in the digestive tract wall. The positive rates of the WLE biopsy and AEJ biopsy of the involved gastric wall were 77.93% (293/376) and 89.38% (143/160), respectively. Twelve cases showed diffuse thickening of the gastric wall, and the total positive rate of EUS was 91.67% but 0% for WLE with this type of GIL. The total positive rate and positive rate during the first examination of EUS were all significantly higher than those of WLE. Moreover, 19.68% of the patients showed negative results during their WLE examination and then received a positive pathologic diagnosis upon EUS examination, but none had the opposite process.ConclusionsEUS was found to be a better tool for acquiring a pathological diagnosis of GIL than conventional WLE, especially for GIL similar to linitis plastica.     

内镜超声引导下细针穿刺活检术在消化道管壁及其周围器官疾病诊断中的应用价值

目的 探讨内镜超声引导下细针穿刺活检在消化道管壁及其周围器官疾病诊断中的应用价值。方法 对2009年5月至2010年11月行EUS-FNA的133例患者(161处病灶)的临床和病理学资料进行回顾性总结。结果 161处穿刺部位中,实性病变142处,囊液性病变15处,胰腺囊实性病变4例。穿刺部位包括上消化道和直肠周围器官以...     

Cyst carcinoembryonic antigen in differentiating pancreatic cysts: A meta-analysis

Background

Using carcinoembryonic antigen in discriminating between benign and malignant disease remains controversial.

Aims

We aim to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of cyst fluid carcinoembryonic antigen in predicting malignant pancreatic cystic lesions.

Methods

We performed a literature search of MEDLINE and EMBASE. We included studies that compared the diagnostic accuracy of carcinoembryonic antigen with histology. Pooled estimates of diagnostic precision were calculated using random-effects models.

Results

Eight studies (504 patients) were included. The carcinoembryonic antigen cutoff level for determining a malignant cyst ranged from 109.9 to 6000 ng/mL. Pooled estimates of carcinoembryonic antigen in malignant cysts prediction were poor: pooled sensitivity of 63%, pooled specificity of 63%. The positive likelihood ratio was 1.89 and the negative likelihood ratio was 0.62. The diagnostic odds ratio was 3.84. The area under the summary receiver–operating characteristic curve was 0.70. In subgroup analysis of patients with mucinous cysts (mucinous cystic neoplasm and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm; 5 studies, 227 patients), pooled sensitivity was 65%, pooled specificity 66% and diagnostic odds ratio 4.74 respectively.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis suggests that the accuracy of carcinoembryonic antigen in differentiating “between benign and malignant” pancreatic cysts was poor. The decision to perform surgical resection for pancreatic cystic lesions should not be based solely on carcinoembryonic antigen level.     

内镜超声引导下细针穿刺活检诊断上消化道壁外占位性病变的价值

目的 探讨内镜超声引导下细针穿刺活检(EUS-FNA)在上消化道壁外占位性病变(胰腺、纵隔、腹膜后占位)诊断中的应用价值.方法 回顾性总结行EUS-FNA检查的33例胰腺占位、25例纵隔占位和13例腹膜后占位患者的临床资料,以手术病理或6个月临床随访结果作为最终诊断,统计EUS-FNA对不同分类上消化道壁外恶性占位诊断的敏感度、特异度、阳性预测值、阴性预测值和准确率.结果 EUS-FNA诊断上消化道壁外恶性占位的总体敏感度、特异度、阳性预测值、阴性预测值、准确率分别为82.2％(37/45)、100.0％(26/26)、100.0％(37/37)、76.5％(26/34)、88.7％(63/71),且分别诊断胰腺、纵隔、腹膜后恶性占位的敏感度、特异度、阳性预测值、阴性预测值、准确率均较高.病灶直径＞3 cm恶性占位EUS-FNA诊断的敏感度、特异度、阳性预测值、阴性预测值及准确率分别为81.0％(17/21)、100.0％(13/13)、100.0％(17/17)、76.5％(13/17)、88.2％(30/34),病灶直径≤3 cm恶性占位的诊断敏感度、特异度、阳性预测值、阴性预测值及准确率分别为83.3％(20/24)、100.0％(13/13)、100.0％ (20/20)、76.5％ (13/17)、89.2％(33/37),两者比较差异均无统计学意义(P＞0.05).71例患者均未出现出血、穿孔、胰腺炎、胰瘘及感染、胸痛、气胸等并发症.结论 EUS-FNA是一种安全、准确、有效地诊断上消化道壁外占位性病变的方法,且诊断准确率不受病灶大小的影响.     

Technical tips for endoscopic ultrasound-guided hepaticogastrostomy

Interventional procedures using endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) have recently been developed. For biliary drainage, EUS-guided trans-luminal drainage has been reported. In this procedure, the transduodenal approach for extrahepatic bile ducts is called EUS-guided choledochoduodenostomy, and the transgastric approach for intrahepatic bile ducts is called EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy (EUS-HGS). These procedures have several effects, such as internal drainage and avoiding post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis, and they are indicated for an inaccessible ampulla of Vater due to duodenal obstruction or surgical anatomy. EUS-HGS has particularly wide indications and clinical impact as an alternative biliary drainage method. In this procedure, it is necessary to dilate the fistula, and several devices and approaches have been reported. Stent selection is also important. In previous reports, the overall technical success rate was 82% (221/270), the clinical success rate was 97% (218/225), and the overall adverse event rate for EUS-HGS was 23% (62/270). Adverse events of EUS-biliary drainage are still high compared with ERCP or PTCD. EUS-HGS should continue to be performed by experienced endoscopists who can use various strategies when adverse events occur.     

ERCP结合EPT对胆囊切除术后患者诊治价值的探讨

目的 回顾性研究逆行性胰胆管造影（ERCP）结合乳头肌切开术（EPT）对胆囊切除术后患者的诊治价值。方法 170例胆囊切除术后症状再发或反复发作患者，接受ERCP检查和EPT等治疗，诊断结果与B超作对照。同时动态观察内镜下介入诊治术后临床表现的改变。不良反应及血清淀粉酶的变化及高淀粉酶血症的分布情况。结果 经ERCP结合EPT等术后患者临床症状显著改善；与B超对照ERCP对胆囊切除术后胆总管残余结石的诊断率显著提高（P＜0．001），对胆总管扩张程度的诊断价值显著优于B超（P＜0．05），并能发现许多B超检查不能发现的胆胰病变；术后主要不良反应表现为出血、高淀粉酶血症，ERCP结合EPT等治疗组高淀粉酶的发生率显著高于单纯ERCP操作组（P＜0．01）。经积极地处理后短期内出血控制，血清淀粉酶多在3日内转为正常。结论 对胆囊切除术后患者，ECRP结合EPT不失为一项非常有价值、安全的诊治措施。     

Stent displacement in endoscopic pancreatic pseudocyst drainage and endoscopic management

A pancreatic pseudocyst(PPC)is a collection of pancreatic fluid enclosed by a non-epithelialized,fibrous or granulomatous wall.Endoscopic pancreatic pseudocyst drainage(PPD)has been widely used clinically to treat PPCs.The success and complications of endoscopic PPD are comparable with surgical interventions.Stent displacement is a rare complication after endoscopic PPD.Almost all the complications of endoscopic PPD have been managed surgically,and there is rare report involving the endoscopic treatment of intraperitoneal stent displacement.We report here a case of stent displacementafter endoscopic ultrasound-and fluoroscopy-guided PPD in a 41-year-old female patient with a PPC in the tail of the pancreas.The endoscopic treatment was successfully performed to remove the displaced stent.The clinical course of the patient was unremarkable.The cyst had significantly reduced and disappeared by 12 wk.We found that both endoscopic ultrasound and fluoroscopy should be used during endoscopic PPD to avoid stent displacement.The displaced stent can be successfully treated by endoscopic removal.     

Current applications of endoscopic suturing

Endoscopic suturing had previously been considered an experimental procedure only performed in a few centers and often by surgeons. Now, however, endoscopic suturing has evolved sufficiently to be easily implemented during procedures and is more commonly used by gastroenterologists. We have employed the Apollo OverStitch suturing device in a variety of ways including closure of perforations, closure of full thickness defects in the gastrointestinal wall created during endoscopic full thickness resection, closure of mucosotomies during peroral endoscopic myotomy, stent fixation, fistula closure, post endoscopic submucosal dissection, endoscopic mucosal resection and Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery defect closures, post-bariatric surgery gastrojejunal anastomosis revision and primary sleeve gastroplasty.     

帽状息肉病临床和内镜特征及内镜下切除治疗效果

为了探讨帽状息肉病的临床、内镜特征,并评价其内镜下切除治疗效果,对2017年6月—2021年2月首都医科大学附属北京友谊医院行内镜黏膜下剥离术（endoscopic submucosal dissection,ESD）或内镜黏膜切除术（endoscopic mucosal resection,EMR）结直肠息肉切除治疗,经术后病理证实为帽状息肉病的14例病例（共56枚息肉）进行了回顾性分析。结果显示：男8例,女6例;年龄14岁～74岁,其中<60岁7例,≥60岁7例;7例（50.0%）伴消化道症状;息肉多发4例,单发10例（71.4%）;息肉位于直肠42枚（75.0%）,乙状结肠13枚（23.2%）,横结肠1枚;山田分型Ⅰ型44枚（78.6%）,Ⅱ型3枚,Ⅲ型5枚,Ⅳ型4枚;内镜下息肉表面可见明显白色帽状覆盖物41枚（73.2%）、明显充血发红23枚,其中两者均可见8枚;2例行ESD治疗、12例行EMR治疗,均完全切除,均未出现出血、穿孔、感染等并发症;7例伴消化道症状者术后临床症状均获得缓解;11例（78.6%）随访期间完成肠镜复查,均未见息肉复发。由此可见,帽状息肉病无性别、年龄发病差异,息肉多单发,直肠及乙状结肠多见,形态以山田Ⅰ型为主,表面多有白色帽状覆盖物,患者可无明显消化道症状,内镜下切除治疗安全、有效。     

Wire-guided endoscopic snare retrieval of proximally migrated pancreatic stents after endoscopic papillectomy for ampullary adenoma

With the increasing use of pancreatic duct (PD) stents after endoscopic papillectomy (EP), complications such as proximal migration of the stent have become increasingly prevalent. A PD stent that migrates within a nondilated PD may be difficult to remove endoscopically. We performed endoscopic retrieval of proximally migrated PD stents after EP in 5 patients. Endoscopic retrieval was performed immediately after EP in one patient, the next day in 3 patients, and 2 weeks later in one patient. Wire-guided endoscopic retrieval was attempted in 4 patients, and the migrated stents were removed successfully in these 4 patients. No significant procedure-related complications occurred, other than mild pancreatitis in a single patient. In one patient, endoscopic retrieval performed immediately after EP failed when using the conventional method, and the migrated stent was removed using a minisnare without a guidewire the next day; this patient developed severe pancreatitis. Wire-guided endoscopic snare retrieval seems to be a safe and effective method for removing proximally migrated PD stents after EP.     

Meta-analysis comparison of endoscopic papillary balloon dilatation and endoscopic sphincteropapillotomy

AIM: To assess endoscopic papillary balloon dilatation (EPBD) and endoscopic sphincteropapillotomy (EST) for common bile duct (CBD) stone removal using a meta-analysis. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials published from 1990 to 2012 comparing EPBD with EST for CBD stone removal were evaluated. This meta-analysis was performed to estimate short-term and long-term com-plications of these two treatments. The fixed random effect model or random effect model was established to analysis the data. Results were obtained by analyz-ing the relative risk, odds ratio, and 95%CI for a given comparison using RevMan 5.1. Statistical significance was defined asP < 0.05. Risk of bias was evaluated us-ing a funnel plot. RESULTS: Of the 1975 patients analyzed, 980 of them were treated with EPBD and 995 were treated with EST. Of the patient population, patients in the EPBDgroup were younger (OR=-1.16, 95%CI:-1.49 to 0.84, P<0.01). There were no significant differences in gender proportion, average size of stones, number of gallstones, previous cholecystectomy, the incidence of duodenal diverticulum, CBD diameter or the total follow-up time between EST and EPBD groups. Com-pared with EST, the total stone clearance in the EPBD group decreased (OR=0.64, 95%CI: 0.42 to 0.96,P=0.03), the use of stone extraction baskets significantly increased (OR=1.91, 95%CI: 1.41 to 2.59, P<0.01), and the incidence of pancreatitis significantly increased (OR=2.79, 95%CI: 1.74 to 4.45, P<0.0001). The incidence of bleeding (OR=0.12, 95%CI: 0.04 to 0.34, P<0.01) and cholecystitis (OR=0.41, 95%CI: 0.20 to 0.84, P=0.02) significantly decreased. The stone re-currence rate also was significantly reduced in EPBD (OR=0.48, 95%CI: 0.26 to 0.90, P=0.02). There were no significant differences between the two groups with the incidence of stone removal at first attempt, hours of operation, total short-term complications and infection, perforation, or acute cholangitis. CONCLUSION: Although the incidence of pancreatitis was higher, the overall stone