Augustin Attwell

The Clinical Impact of Immediate On-Site Cytopathology Evaluation During Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration of Pancreatic Masses: A Prospective Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Objectives:Observational data on the impact of on-site cytopathology evaluation (OCE) during endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS–FNA) of pancreatic masses have reported conflicting results. We aimed to compare the diagnostic yield of malignancy and proportion of inadequate specimens between patients undergoing EUS–FNA of pancreatic masses with and without OCE.Methods:In this multicenter randomized controlled trial, consecutive patients with solid pancreatic mass underwent randomization for EUS–FNA with or without OCE. The number of FNA passes in the OCE+ arm was dictated by the on-site cytopathologist, whereas seven passes were performed in OCE− arm. EUS–FNA protocol was standardized, and slides were reviewed by cytopathologists using standardized criteria for cytologic characteristics and diagnosis.Results:A total of 241 patients (121 OCE+, 120 OCE−) were included. There was no difference between the two groups in diagnostic yield of malignancy (OCE+ 75.2% vs. OCE− 71.6%, P=0.45) and proportion of inadequate specimens (9.8 vs. 13.3%, P=0.31). Procedures in OCE+ group required fewer EUS–FNA passes (median, OCE+ 4 vs. OCE− 7, P<0.0001). There was no significant difference between the two groups with regard to overall procedure time, adverse events, number of repeat procedures, costs (based on baseline cost-minimization analysis), and accuracy (using predefined criteria for final diagnosis of malignancy). There was no difference between the two groups with respect to cytologic characteristics of cellularity, bloodiness, number of cells/slide, and contamination.Conclusions:Results of this study demonstrated no significant difference in the diagnostic yield of malignancy, proportion of inadequate specimens, and accuracy in patients with pancreatic mass undergoing EUS–FNA with or without OCE.

ERCP with per-oral pancreatoscopy-guided laser lithotripsy for calcific chronic pancreatitis: a multicenter U.S. experience

BACKGROUND In patients with chronic pancreatitis, laser lithotripsy (LL) permits stone fragmentation and removal during ERCP with some advantages over extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and surgery. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the technical success of LL in pancreatic duct (PD) stones. DESIGN Retrospective cohort. SETTING Four tertiary referral centers. PATIENTS Patients undergoing endotherapy for PD stones. INTERVENTIONS ERCP with per-oral pancreatoscopy (POP)-guided LL. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT Technical success was defined as complete stone clearance. RESULTS Over 3 years, 28 patients (16 men, 51 years [mean age]) underwent a median of 1 (range, 1-4) POP-LL for PD stones. Baseline parameters included pain requiring hospitalization (n=19, 68%), opiate use (n=14, 50%), or weight loss (n=11, 39%). Before POP-LL, 22 of 28 patients (79%) had a median of 1 (range, 1-5) ERCP, 9 of 28 (32%) underwent a median of 2 (range, 1-3) ESWL sessions, and 5 underwent a median of 1 (range, 1-3) POP-guided electrohydraulic lithotripsy with failed (n=2) or partial (n=3) fragmentation. A median of 2 (range, 1-3) stones sized 15 mm (range, 4-32 mm) were identified in the head (n=9, 32%), neck (n=3, 11%), body (n=9, 32%), tail (n=1, 4%), or multiple sites (n=6, 21%). Technical success occurred in 22 patients (79%) with complete clearance. Partial clearance occurred in 3 (11%). Clinical success at a median of 13 (range, 1-25) months of follow-up was noted in 25 of 28 patients (89%) by improvement in pain (n=25), decreased narcotic use (n=25), or reduced hospitalizations (n=19). Mild adverse events occurred in 8 of 28 (29%). CONCLUSIONS POP-LL is feasible at expert centers in patients with accessible stones. Although intensive endotherapy is required, most patients achieve stone clearance and clinical improvement.

Variation in learning curves and competence for ERCP among advanced endoscopy trainees by using cumulative sum analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS There are limited data on learning curves and competence in ERCP. By using a standardized data collection tool, we aimed to prospectively define learning curves and measure competence among advanced endoscopy trainees (AETs) by using cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis. METHODS AETs were evaluated by attending endoscopists starting with the 26th hands-on ERCP examination and then every ERCP examination during the 12-month training period. A standardized ERCP competency assessment tool (using a 4-point scoring system) was used to grade the examination. CUSUM analysis was applied to produce learning curves for individual technical and cognitive components of ERCP performance (success defined as a score of 1, acceptable and unacceptable failures [p1] of 10% and 20%, respectively). Sensitivity analyses varying p1 and by using a less-stringent definition of success were performed. RESULTS Five AETs were included with a total of 1049 graded ERCPs (mean ± SD, 209.8 ± 91.6/AET). The majority of cases were performed for a biliary indication (80%). The overall and native papilla allowed cannulation times were 3.1 ± 3.6 and 5.7 ± 4, respectively. Overall learning curves demonstrated substantial variability for individual technical and cognitive endpoints. Although nearly all AETs achieved competence in overall cannulation, none achieved competence for cannulation in cases with a native papilla. Sensitivity analyses increased the proportion of AETs who achieved competence. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that there is substantial variability in ERCP learning curves among AETs. A specific case volume does not ensure competence, especially for native papilla cannulation.

Suboptimal accuracy of carcinoembryonic antigen in differentiation of mucinous and nonmucinous pancreatic cysts: results of a large multicenter study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The exact cutoff value at which pancreatic cyst fluid carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level distinguishes pancreatic mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCNs) from pancreatic nonmucinous cystic neoplasms (NMCNs) is unclear. The aim of this multicenter retrospective study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of cyst fluid CEA levels in differentiating between MCNs and NMCNs. METHODS Consecutive patients who underwent EUS with FNA at 3 tertiary care centers were identified. Patients with histologic confirmation of cyst type based on surgical specimens served as the criterion standard for this analysis. Demographic characteristics, EUS morphology, FNA fluid, and cytology results were recorded. Multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of MCNs was performed. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated for CEA levels. RESULTS A total of 226 patients underwent surgery (mean age, 61 years, 96% white patients, 39% female patients) of whom 88% underwent Whipples procedure or distal pancreatectomy. Based on surgical histopathology, there were 150 MCNs and 76 NMCNs cases. The median CEA level was 165 ng/mL. The area under the ROC curve for CEA levels in differentiating between MCNs and NMCNs was 0.77 (95% confidence interval, 0.71-0.84, P < .01) with a cutoff of 105 ng/mL, demonstrating a sensitivity and specificity of 70% and 63%, respectively. The cutoff value of 192 ng/mL yielded a sensitivity of 61% and a specificity of 77% and would misdiagnose 39% of MCN cases. CONCLUSIONS Cyst fluid CEA levels have a clinically suboptimal accuracy level in differentiating MCNs from NMCNs. Future studies should focus on novel cyst fluid markers to improve risk stratification of pancreatic cystic neoplasms.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with per oral pancreatoscopy for calcific chronic pancreatitis using endoscope and catheter-based pancreatoscopes: a 10-year single-center experience.

Objectives Per oral pancreatoscopy (POP) with electrohydraulic lithotripsy (EHL) or laser lithotripsy (LL) permits stone fragmentation and removal during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Our study evaluates the safety and efficacy of POP in patients with main pancreatic duct (PD) stones. Methods This was a cohort study of patients undergoing POP with EHL/LL for PD stones between January 2000 and March 2011. Technical success was defined as complete or partial stone clearance, and clinical success as greater than 50% reduction in opiate use, pain, or hospitalizations. Results Forty-six patients underwent POP for PD stones using a 10F cholangioscope (POP-Endo) (n = 31) or catheter-based system (POP-Cath, n = 15). Electrohydraulic lithotripsy/LL was performed in 39 (85%) of 46 patients. Stone extraction without EHL or LL was performed in 7 (15%) of 46 patients. Technical success for POP-Endo versus POP-Cath was 27 (87%) of 31 versus 15 (100%) of 15 patients (P = 0.29). Complete clearance was achieved in 21 (68%) of 31 versus 11 (73%) of 15 patients, respectively (P = 0.519). Per oral pancreatoscopy–related complications were found in 10%. Follow-up in 43 (93%) of 46 patients was a median of 18 months (range, 1–60 months). Overall clinical success was 74%. Conclusions Per oral pancreatoscopy–guided endotherapy leads to partial or complete stone clearance in most patients with PD stones. The technical success rates between POP-Endo versus POP-Cath systems appear similar and are associated with clinical improvement in most patients.

EUS-Guided Drainage of a Diverticular Abscess as an Adjunct to Surgical Therapy

612 GASTROINTESTINAL ENDOSCOPY VOLUME 58, NO. 4, 2003 Current affiliations: Division of Gastroenterology and Division of GI, Tumor and Endocrine Surgery, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado. Reprint requests: Yang K. Chen, MD, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Colorado Hospital, Anschutz Centers for Advanced Medicine, 1635 N. Ursula St., Mail Stop F735, Aurora, Colorado 80010-0510. Copyright

Diagnosis of ectopic pancreas by endoscopic ultrasound with fine-needle aspiration

AIM To study the clinical, endoscopic, sonographic, and cytologic features of ectopic pancreas (EP). METHODS This was a retrospective study performed at an academic referral center including two hospitals. Institutional review board approval was obtained. Patients referred to the University Hospital or Denver Health Medical Center Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Lab for gastroduodenal subepithelial lesions (SEL) with a final diagnosis of EP between January 2009 and December 2013 were identified. Patients in this group were selected for the study if they underwent endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with fine-needle aspiration (FNA) or deep biopsy. A review of the medical record was performed specifically to review the following information: presenting symptoms, endoscopic and EUS findings, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging findings, pathology results, procedure-related adverse events, and subsequent treatments after EUS-FNA. EUS with FNA or deep submucosal biopsy was performed in all patients on an outpatient basais by one of two physicians (Attwell A, Fukami N). Review of all subsequent clinic notes and operative reports was performed in order to determine follow-up and final diagnoses. RESULTS Between July 2009 and December 2013, 10 patients [3 males, 7 females, median age 52 (26-64) years] underwent EUS for a gastroduodenal SEL and were diagnosed with EP. One patient was symptomatic. Six (60%) lesions were in the antrum, 3 (30%) in the body, and 1 (10%) in the duodenum. A mucosal dimple was noted in 6 (60%). Mean lesion size was 17 (8-25) mm. Gastrointestinal wall involvement: muscularis mucosae, 10%; submucosa, 70%; muscularis propria, 60%; and serosa, 10%. Nine (90%) lesions were hypoechoic and 5 (50%) were homogenous. A duct was seen in 5 (50%). FNA was attempted in 9 (90%) and successful in 8 (80%) patients after 4 (2-6) passes. Cytology showed acini or ducts in 7 of 8 (88%). Superficial biopsies in 7 patients (70%) showed normal gastric mucosa. Deep endoscopic biopsies were taken in 2 patients and diagnostic in one. One patient (10%) developed pancreatitis after EUS-FNA. Two patients (20%) underwent surgery to relieve symptoms or confirm the diagnosis. The main limitation of the study was the fact that it was retrospective and performed at a single medical center. CONCLUSION EUS features of EP include antral location, mucosal dimple, location in layers 3-4, and lesional duct, and FNA or biopsy is accurate and effective.

Interobserver agreement among cytopathologists in the evaluation of pancreatic endoscopic ultrasound- guided fine needle aspiration cytology specimens *

Background and aims: Endoscopic ultrasound with fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) has become the standard of care in the evaluation of solid pancreatic lesions. Limited data exist on interobserver agreement (IOA) among cytopathologists in assessing solid pancreatic EUS-FNA specimens. This study aimed to evaluate IOA among cytopathologists in assessing EUS-FNA cytology specimens of solid pancreatic lesions using a novel standardized scoring system and to assess individual clinical and cytologic predictors of IOA. Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent EUS-FNA of solid pancreatic lesions at a tertiary care referral center were included. EUS-FNA slides were evaluated by four blinded cytopathologists using a standardized scoring system that assessed final cytologic diagnosis and quantitative (number of nucleated/diagnostic cells) and qualitative (bloodiness, inflammation/necrosis, contamination, artifact) cytologic parameters. Final clinical diagnosis was based on final cytology, surgical pathology, or 1-year clinical follow-up. IOA was calculated using multi-rater kappa (κ) statistics. Bivariate analyses were performed comparing cases with and without uniform agreement among the cytopathologists followed by logistic regression with backward elimination to model likelihood of uniform agreement. Results: Ninety-nine patients were included (49 % males, mean age 64 years, mean lesion size 26 mm). IOA for final diagnosis was moderate (κ = 0.45, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.4 – 0.49) with minimal improvement when combining suspicious and malignant diagnoses (κ = 0.54, 95 %CI 0.49 – 0.6). The weighted kappa value for overall diagnosis was 0.65 (95 %CI 0.54 – 0.76). IOA was slight to fair (κ = 0.04 – 0.32) for individual cytologic parameters. A final clinical diagnosis of malignancy was the most significant predictor of agreement [OR 3.99 (CI 1.52 – 10.49)]. Conclusions: Interobserver agreement among cytopathologists for pancreatic EUS-FNA specimens is moderate-substantial for the final cytologic diagnosis. The final clinical diagnosis of malignancy was the strongest predictor of agreement. These results have significant implications for patient management and need to be validated in future trials.

Multiple myeloma involving the porta hepatis and peritoneum causing biliary obstruction and malignant ascites.

Multiple myeloma is a monoclonal plasma cell neoplasm that usually produces large amounts of a specific immunoglobulin. It typically affects patients over age 50 and has a slight predominance in men and African Americans. The clinical presentation may vary from being asymptomatic to life-threatening spinal cord compression. The most common symptoms are fatigue and bone pain associated with osteolytic lesions. Anemia and hypercalcemia may contribute to fatigue. Nearly half of myeloma patients develop nephropathy from hypercalcemia or precipitation of monoclonal light chains in the collecting tubules (1). Myeloma cells proliferate in the bone marrow and circulate through the bloodstream to create the typical clinical picture. Like benign plasma cells, they circulate through the lymphatics and the reticuloendothelial system; hence spleen, liver, or lymph node lesions are common. Organ involvement may be characterized by diffuse infiltrative disease or by discrete myelomatous masses known as plasmacytomas, which may lead to massive organ distortion and tumorous destruction or microscopic involvement alone. Although less common, aggressive myelomas may invade organs outside the bone marrow, lymphatics, or reticuloendothelial system (2). Such cases are associated with a poor prognosis. The upper respiratory tract and kidney are relatively common sites of implantation, while the gastrointestinal tract, retroperitoneum, and pelvic organs are less common. Diffuse intra-abdominal seeding leading to

Increased Incidence of Pseudoaneurysm Bleeding With Lumen-Apposing Metal Stents Compared to Double-Pigtail Plastic Stents in Patients With Peripancreatic Fluid Collections

Background & Aims There have been few studies that compared the effects of lumen‐apposing metal stents (LAMS) and double‐pigtail plastic stents (DPS) in patients with peripancreatic fluid collections from pancreatitis. We aimed to compare technical and clinical success and adverse events in patients who received LAMS vs DPS for pancreatic pseudocysts and walled‐off necrosis. Methods We performed a retrospective study of endoscopic ultrasound–mediated drainage in 149 patients (65% male; mean age, 47 y) with pancreatic pseudocysts or walled‐off necrosis (97 received LAMS and 152 received DPS), from January 2011 through September 2016 at a single center. We collected data on patient characteristics, outcomes, hospitalizations, and imaging findings. Technical success was defined as LAMS insertion or a minimum of 2 DPS. Clinical success was defined as resolution of pancreatic pseudocysts or walled‐off necrosis based on imaging results. The primary outcome was resolution of peripancreatic fluid collection with reduced abdominal pain or obstructive signs or symptoms. Secondary outcomes included the identification and management of adverse events, number of additional procedures required to resolve fluid collection, and the recurrence of fluid collection. Results Patients who received LAMS had larger peripancreatic fluid collections than patients who received DPS prior to intervention (P = .001), and underwent an average 1.7 interventions vs 1.9 interventions for patients who received DPS (P = .93). Technical success was achieved for 90 patients with LAMS (92.8%) vs 137 patients with DPS (90.1%) (odds ratio [OR] for success with DPS, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.33–2.0; P = .67). Despite larger fluid collections in the LAMS group, there was no significant difference in proportions of patients with clinical success following placement of LAMS (82 of 84 patients, 97.6%) vs DPS (118 of 122 patients, 96.7%) (OR for clinical success with DPS, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.13–4.0; P = .71). Adverse events developed in 24 patients who received LAMS (24.7%) vs 27 patients who received DPS (17.8%) (OR for an adverse event in a patient receiving a DPS, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.33–2.0; P = .67). However, patients with LAMS had a higher risk of pseudoaneurysm bleeding than patients with DPS (OR, 10.0; 95% CI, 1.19–84.6; P = .009). Conclusions In a retrospective study of patients undergoing drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts or walled‐off necrosis, we found LAMS and DPS to have comparable rates of technical and clinical success and adverse events. Drainage of walled‐off necrosis or pancreatic pseudocysts using DPS was associated with fewer bleeding events overall, including pseudoaneurysm bleeding, but bleeding risk with LAMS should be weighed against the trend of higher actionable perforation and infection rates with DPS.