• Clinical Endoscopy
• /
• v.57 no.3
• /
• pp.384-392
• /
• 2024

Background/Aims: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition (EUS-TA) is a standard diagnostic method for biliary tract cancer (BTC), and samples obtained in this manner may be used for comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP). This study evaluated the utility of EUS-TA for CGP in a clinical setting and determined the factors associated with the adequacy of CGP in patients with BTC. Methods: CGP was attempted for 105 samples from 94 patients with BTC at the Aichi Cancer Center, Japan, from October 2019 to April 2022. Results: Overall, 77.1% (81/105) of the samples were adequate for CGP. For 22-G or 19-G fine-needle biopsy (FNB), the sample adequacy was 85.7% (36/42), which was similar to that of surgical specimens (94%, p=0.45). Univariate analysis revealed that 22-G or larger FNB needle usage (86%, p=0.003), the target primary lesions (88%, p=0.015), a target size ≥30 mm (100%, p=0.0013), and number of punctures (90%, p=0.016) were significantly positively associated with CGP sample adequacy. Conclusions: EUS-TA is useful for CGP tissue sampling in patients with BTC. In particular, the use of 22-G or larger FNB needles may allow for specimen adequacy comparable to that of surgical specimens.

• Clinical Endoscopy
• /
• v.56 no.5
• /
• pp.658-665
• /
• 2023

Background/Aims: We aimed to study the effects of sedation on endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study evaluating the role of sedation in endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition by comparing two groups: anesthesia care provider (ACP) sedation and endoscopist-directed conscious sedation (CS). Results: Technical success was achieved in 219/233 (94.0%) in the ACP group and 114/136 (83.8%) in the CS group (p=0.0086). In multivariate analysis, the difference in technical success between the two groups was not significant (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.234-1.069; p=0.0738). A successful diagnostic yield was present in 146/196 (74.5%) in the ACP group and 66/106 (62.3%) in the CS group, respectively (p=0.0274). In multivariate analysis, the difference in diagnostic yield between the two groups was not significant (aOR, 0.643; 95% CI, 0.356-1.159; p=0.142). A total of 33 adverse events (AEs) were observed. The incidence of AEs was significantly lower in the CS group (5/33 CS vs. 28/33 ACP; OR, 0.281; 95% CI, 0.095-0.833; p=0.022). Conclusions: CS provided equivalent technical success and diagnostic yield for malignancy in endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition. Increased AEs were associated with anesthesia for the endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition.

• Clinical Endoscopy
• /
• v.57 no.2
• /
• pp.237-245
• /
• 2024

Background/Aims: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition (EUS-TA) using Franseen needles is reportedly useful for its high diagnostic yield. This study compared the diagnostic yield and puncturing ability of EUS-TA using 22-gauge cobalt-chromium (CO-Cr) needles with those of stainless-steel Franseen needles in patients with solid pancreatic lesions. Methods: Outcomes were compared between the 22-gauge Co-Cr Franseen needle (December 2019 to November 2020; group C) and stainless-steel needle (November 2020 to May 2022; group S). Results: A total of 155 patients (group C, 75; group S, 80) were eligible. The diagnostic accuracy was 92.0% in group C and 96.3% in group S with no significant intergroup differences (p=0.32). The rate of change in the operator (from training fellows to experts) was 20.0% (15/75) in group C and 7.5% (6/80) in group S. Stainless-steel Franseen needles showed less inter-operator difference than Co-Cr needles (p=0.03). Conclusions: Both Co-Cr and stainless-steel Franseen needles showed high diagnostic ability. Stainless-steel Franseen needles are soft and flexible; therefore, the range of puncture angles can be widely adjusted, making them suitable for training fellows to complete the procedure.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.77 no.4
• /
• pp.188-192
• /
• 2014

We present a case of an unusual infectious complication of a ruptured mediastinal abscess after endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA), which led to malignant pleural effusion in a patient with stage IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer. EBUS-TBNA was performed in a 48-year-old previously healthy male, and a mediastinal abscess developed at 4 days post-procedure. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was performed for debridement and drainage, and the intraoperative findings revealed a large volume pleural effusion that was not detected on the initial radiographic evaluation. Malignant cells were unexpectedly detected in the aspirated pleural fluid, which was possibly due to increased pleural permeability and transport of malignant cells originating in a ruptured subcarinal lymph node from the mediastinum to the pleural space. Hence, the patient was confirmed to have squamous cell lung carcinoma with malignant pleural effusion and his TNM staging was changed from stage IIIA to IV.

• Clinical Endoscopy
• /
• v.56 no.2
• /
• pp.169-179
• /
• 2023

Background/Aims: This meta-analysis analyzed the effect of an indwelling biliary stent on endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided tissue acquisition from pancreatic lesions. Methods: A literature search was performed to identify studies published between 2000 and July 2022 comparing the diagnostic outcomes of EUS-tissue acquisition (TA) in patients with or without biliary stents. For non-strict criteria, samples reported as malignant or suspicious for malignancy were included, whereas for strict criteria, only samples reported as malignant were included in the analysis. Results: Nine studies were included in this analysis. The odds of an accurate diagnosis were significantly lower in patients with indwelling stents using both non-strict (odds ratio [OR], 0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.52-0.90) and strict criteria (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.46-0.74). The pooled sensitivity with and without stents were similar (87% vs. 91%) using non-strict criteria. However, patients with stents had a lower pooled sensitivity (79% vs. 88%) when using strict criteria. The sample inadequacy rate was comparable between groups (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.76-1.65). The diagnostic accuracy and sample inadequacy were comparable between plastic and metal biliary stents. Conclusions: The presence of a biliary stent may negatively affect the diagnostic outcome of EUS-TA for pancreatic lesions.

• Clinical Endoscopy
• /
• v.57 no.1
• /
• pp.89-95
• /
• 2024

Background/Aims: In stereomicroscopic sample isolation processing, the cutoff value (≥4 mm) of stereomicroscopically visible white cores indicates high diagnostic sensitivity. We aimed to evaluate endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition (EUS-TA) using a simplified stereomicroscopic on-site evaluation of upper gastrointestinal subepithelial lesions (SELs). Methods: In this multicenter prospective trial, we performed EUS-TA using a 22-gauge Franseen needle in 34 participants with SELs derived from the upper gastrointestinal muscularis propria, requiring pathological diagnosis. The presence of stereomicroscopically visible white core (SVWC) in each specimen was assessed using stereomicroscopic on-site evaluation. The primary outcome was EUS-TA's diagnostic sensitivity with stereomicroscopic on-site evaluation based on the SVWC cutoff value (≥4 mm) for malignant upper gastrointestinal SELs. Results: The total number of punctures was 68; 61 specimens (89.7%) contained stereomicroscopically visible white cores ≥4 mm in size. The final diagnoses were gastrointestinal stromal tumor, leiomyoma, and schwannoma in 76.5%, 14.7%, and 8.8% of the cases, respectively. The sensitivity of EUS-TA with stereomicroscopic on-site evaluation based on the SVWC cutoff value for malignant SELs was 100%. The per-lesion accuracy of histological diagnosis reached the highest level (100%) at the second puncture. Conclusions: Stereomicroscopic on-site evaluation showed high diagnostic sensitivity and could be a new method for diagnosing upper gastrointestinal SELs using EUS-TA.

• Clinical Endoscopy
• /
• v.56 no.1
• /
• pp.100-106
• /
• 2023

Background/Aims: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has become an essential diagnostic and therapeutic tool. EUS was introduced in 2013 in Indonesia and is considered relatively new. This study aimed to describe the current role of interventional EUS at our hospital as a part of the Indonesian tertiary health center experience. Methods: This retrospective study included all patients who underwent interventional EUS (n=94) at our center between January 2015 and December 2020. Patient characteristics, technical success, clinical success, and adverse events associated with each type of interventional EUS procedure were evaluated. Results: Altogether, 94 interventional EUS procedures were performed at our center between 2015 and 2020 including 75 cases of EUS-guided biliary drainage (EUS-BD), 14 cases of EUS-guided pancreatic fluid drainage, and 5 cases of EUS-guided celiac plexus neurolysis. The technical and clinical success rates of EUS-BD were 98.6% and 52%, respectively. The technical success rate was 100% for both EUS-guided pancreatic fluid drainage and EUS-guided celiac plexus neurolysis. The adverse event rates were 10.6% and 7.1% for EUS-BD and EUS-guided pancreatic fluid drainage, respectively. Conclusions: EUS is an effective and safe tool for the treatment of gastrointestinal and biliary diseases. It has a low rate of adverse events, even in developing countries.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.80 no.1
• /
• pp.45-51
• /
• 2017

Background: Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is a minimally invasive diagnostic method for mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathy. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of fever following EBUS-TBNA. Methods: A total of 684 patients who underwent EBUS-TBNA from May 2010 to July 2012 at Seoul National University Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were evaluated for fever by a physician every 6-8 hours during the first 24 hours following EBUS-TBNA. Fever was defined as an increase in axillary body temperature over $37.8^{\circ}C$. Results: Fever after EBUS-TBNA developed in 110 of 552 patients (20%). The median onset time and duration of fever was 7 hours (range, 0.5-32 hours) after EBUS-TBNA and 7 hours (range, 1-52 hours), respectively, and the median peak body temperature was $38.3^{\circ}C$ (range, $137.8-39.9^{\circ}C$). In most patients, fever subsided within 24 hours; however, six cases (1.1%) developed fever lasting longer than 24 hours. Infectious complications developed in three cases (0.54%) (pneumonia, 2; mediastinal abscess, 1), and all three patients had diabetes mellitus. The number or location of sampled lymph nodes and necrosis of lymph node were not associated with fever after EBUS-TBNA. Multiple logistic regression analysis did not reveal any risk factors for developing fever after EBUS-TBNA. Conclusion: Fever is relatively common after EBUS-TBNA, but is transient in most patients. However, clinicians should be aware of the possibility of infectious complications among patients with diabetes mellitus.

• Clinical Endoscopy
• /
• v.57 no.3
• /
• pp.393-401
• /
• 2024

Background/Aims: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is a highly accurate method for diagnosing pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs); however, some PNETs are difficult to diagnose. Recently, the efficacy of needle-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (nCLE) in diagnosing solid pancreatic masses has been reported. However, the efficacy of nCLE in the diagnosis of PNETs remains unknown and only a small number of cases have been reported. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of nCLE in the diagnosis of PNETs. Methods: This single-center retrospective study evaluated 30 consecutive patients with suspected PNETs on contrast-enhanced computed tomography, who consented to nCLE combined with EUS-FNA and were diagnosed using EUS-FNA or surgical resection. The diagnostic criteria for PNETs using nCLE were based on the nesting and trabecular and glandular arrangement of tumor cell clusters surrounded by capillary vessels and fibrosis, as reported in previous studies. Results: The diagnosis using nCLE was classified into three categories: misdiagnosis in three cases (10%), non-diagnostic in six cases (20%), and diagnostic in 21 cases (70%). nCLE was able to diagnose PNET in one of the two cases with inconclusive EUS-FNA. Conclusions: Although further development of the resolution and optimization of the diagnostic criteria are required, nCLE may constitute a useful diagnostic option in cases of inconclusive EUS-FNA for PNETs.

• Clinical Endoscopy
• /
• v.56 no.4
• /
• pp.510-520
• /
• 2023

Background/Aims: We aimed to investigate (1) promising clinical findings for the recognition of focal type autoimmune pancreatitis (FAIP) and (2) the impact of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided tissue acquisition (EUS-TA) on the diagnosis of FAIP. Methods: Twenty-three patients with FAIP were involved in this study, and 44 patients with resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) were included in the control group. Results: (1) Multivariate analysis revealed that homogeneous delayed enhancement on contrast-enhanced computed tomography was a significant factor indicative of FAIP compared to PDAC (90% vs. 7%, p=0.015). (2) For 13 of 17 FAIP patients (76.5%) who underwent EUS-TA, EUS-TA aided the diagnostic confirmation of AIPs, and only one patient (5.9%) was found to have AIP after surgery. On the other hand, of the six patients who did not undergo EUS-TA, three (50.0%) underwent surgery for pancreatic lesions. Conclusions: Homogeneous delayed enhancement on contrast-enhanced computed tomography was the most useful clinical factor for discriminating FAIPs from PDACs. EUS-TA is mandatory for diagnostic confirmation of FAIP lesions and can contribute to a reduction in the rate of unnecessary surgery for patients with FAIP.