Hitomi Kikuchi

Efficacy of endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor grading

AIM To evaluate the efficacy of endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) for grading pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs). METHODS A total of 22 patients were diagnosed with PNET by EUS-FNA between October 2001 and December 2013 at Fukushima Medical University Hospital. Among these cases, we targeted 10 PNET patients who were evaluated according to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2010 classification. Surgery was performed in eight patients, and chemotherapy was performed in two patients due to multiple liver metastases. Specimens obtained by EUS-FNA were first stained with hematoxylin and eosin and then stained with chromogranin, synaptophysin, CD56, and Ki-67. The specimens were graded by the Ki-67 index according to the WHO 2010 classification. Specimens obtained by surgery were graded by the Ki-67 index and mitotic count (WHO 2010 classification). For the eight specimens obtained by EUS-FNA, the Ki-67 index results were compared with those obtained by surgery. In the two cases treated with chemotherapy, the effects and prognoses were evaluated. RESULTS The sampling rate for histological diagnosis by EUS-FNA was 100%. No adverse effects were observed. The concordance rate between specimens obtained by EUS-FNA and surgery was 87.5% (7/8). For the two cases treated with chemotherapy, case 1 received somatostatin analog therapy and transcatheter arterial infusion (TAI) targeting multiple liver metastases. Subsequent treatment consisted of everolimus. During chemotherapy, the primary tumor remained unconfirmed, although the multiple liver metastases diminished dramatically. Case 2 was classified as neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) according to the Ki-67 index of a specimen obtained by EUS-FNA; therefore, cisplatin and irinotecan therapy was started. However, severe adverse effects, including renal failure and diarrhea, were observed, and the therapy regimen was changed to cisplatin and etoposide. TAI targeting multiple liver metastases was performed. Although the liver metastases diminished, the primary tumor remained unconfirmed. These chemotherapy regimens had immediate effects for both unresectable neuroendocrine tumor (NET) and NEC cases. These two subjects are still alive. CONCLUSION EUS-FNA was effective for PNET diagnosis and Ki-67 index grading for WHO 2010 classification, enabling informed decisions on unresectable PNET treatment by identifying NET or NEC.

Efficacy of Steroid Pulse Therapy for Autoimmune Pancreatitis Type 1: A Retrospective Study

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is treatable with steroids, but relapse is frequent. The efficacy of steroid pulse therapy has been shown for various autoimmune diseases, but has not become established therapy. In this study, we reviewed the efficacy of steroid pulse therapy in 24 subjects who were diagnosed with AIP type 1 at our hospital. Patient characteristics, time-course of serum IgG4, and the cumulative relapse-free survival rate were compared between patients who received oral steroid therapy (oral group) and those who were treated with steroid pulse therapy (pulse group). Serum IgG4 was reduced significantly after therapy in both groups and the 5-year cumulative relapse-free survival rates in the two groups did not differ significantly (oral group 46.9%, pulse group 77.8%). However, in a subset of cases with diffuse pancreatic swelling, this rate was significantly lower in the oral group (33.3% vs. 100.0%, p = 0.046). These results suggest that steroid pulse therapy is effective for prevention of relapse in AIP patients with diffuse pancreatic swelling.

The efficacy of contrast-enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasonography in diagnosing gallbladder cancer

The aim of this study was to review the efficacy of contrast-enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasonography (CH-EUS) in diagnosing gallbladder (GB)-protruded lesions. Thirty-eight patients underwent CH-EUS for the diagnosis of GB-protruded lesions. Twenty-four patients whose major axes of their largest lesions were longer than 10 mm were recruited. The ability of CH-EUS to diagnose malignant or benign lesions was reviewed. We treated lesions with brindled enhanced patterns as malignant and those with uniformly enhanced or unenhanced patterns as benign. Furthermore, three gastroenterologists who were not familiar with pancreaticobiliary EUS compared the diagnostic abilities of CH-EUS and conventional EUS using photographs. The sensitivity, specificity, and malignant accuracy of CH-EUS were 100, 94.4, and 95.8%, respectively. The number of lesions that presented with enhanced patterns was significantly different between the malignant lesions and the benign lesions (P < 0.001). In the comparison of diagnostic abilities between CH-EUS and conventional EUS by the three gastroenterologists, CH-EUS was significantly superior to conventional EUS in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy (76.1 vs. 42.9%, P = 0.029; 66.7 vs. 39.2%, P = 0.005; and 69.4 vs. 40.3%, P < 0.001; respectively). In conclusion, CH-EUS was useful for diagnosing malignant and benign GB-protruded lesions.

Feasibility of esophageal stent fixation with an over-the-scope-clip for malignant esophageal strictures to prevent migration

Background and study aims  Fixation of an esophageal self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) with an over-the-scope-clip (OTSC) system for a benign stricture to prevent migration has been reported. However, the efficacy of SEMS fixation with an OTSC for malignant esophageal stricture remains unclear. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the feasibility of SEMS fixation with an OTSC for a malignant esophageal stricture. Patients and methods  Twelve patients who underwent esophageal SEMS placement and fixation with an OTSC for a malignant esophageal stricture were included in this retrospective study. The primary endpoint was technical success. The secondary endpoint was clinical success, which was defined as an improvement of at least 1 grade in the dysphagia score 1 week after SEMS placement or changes in the dysphagia score from before SEMS placement to 1 week after SEMS placement. Results  The technical success rate was 100 %. The clinical success rate was 92.3 %. In 6 mild stricture cases in which a standard peroral endoscope could be used, no migration of the SEMS was observed. The median dysphagia score before and at 1 week after SEMS placement was 3 (range 2 – 4) and 0 (0 – 4), respectively, which indicated improvement at 1 week after SEMS placement compared with before SEMS placement ( P  = 0.002). There were no adverse events associated with placement of SEMS and deployment of an OTSC. Conclusions  SEMS fixation with an OTSC is feasible for prevention of migration due to a malignant esophageal stricture.

Endoscopic therapy for esophageal hematoma with blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome

A 57-year-old woman previously diagnosed with blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome (BRBNS) reported hematemesis. BRBNS is a rare vascular anomaly syndrome consisting of multifocal hemangiomas of the skin and gastrointestinal (GI) tract but her GI tract had never been examined. An upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a large bleeding esophageal hematoma positioned between the thoracic esophagus and the gastric cardia. An endoscopic injection of polidocanol was used to stop the hematoma from bleeding. The hematoma was incised using the injection needle to reduce the pressure within it. Finally, argon plasma coagulation (APC) was applied to the edge of the incision. The esophageal hematoma disappeared seven days later. Two months after the endoscopic therapy, the esophageal ulcer healed and the hemangioma did not relapse. This rare case of a large esophageal hematoma originating from a hemangioma with BRBNS was treated using a combination of endoscopic therapy with polidocanol injection, incision, and APC.

Endoscopic Ultrasonography-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration Can Be Used to Rule Out Malignancy in Autoimmune Pancreatitis Patients.

The aim of this study was to review the suitability of endoscopic ultrasonography‐guided fine needle aspiration (EUS‐FNA) for ruling out malignancy in autoimmune pancreatitis patients.

Efficacy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration for schwannoma: six cases of a retrospective study

BACKGROUND Schwannomas are difficult to diagnose using imaging alone. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is an effective and safe tissue sampling technique. Nevertheless, few reports have described EUS-FNA for schwannoma. OBJECTIVE This study evaluates the efficacy of EUS-FNA for diagnosing schwannoma. METHODS This retrospective study examined six consecutive schwannoma patients who were diagnosed as having schwannoma either from EUS-FNA results or from surgically resected specimens. The primary endpoint was diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA for schwannoma. The secondary endpoint was EUS-FNA safety. RESULTS Based on cytomorphologic features and immunocytochemistry results after EUS-FNA, 4 out of 6 patients (66.7%) were diagnosed with schwannoma. The diagnoses before EUS-FNA were the following: 3 cases of gastric subepithelial lesion (SEL, suspicious for gastrointestinal stromal tumor), 1 case of intraperitoneal tumor, 1 case of retroperitoneal tumor, and 1 case of pancreatic tumor, with sizes of 15-44 mm (median 36 mm). No case was diagnosed as schwannoma solely based on image findings. Two cases of gastric SELs could not be diagnosed as schwannoma by EUS-FNA before surgery. Inadequate sampling and a lack of additional material for immunohistochemical studies could have engendered less-definite diagnoses in those cases. No procedural adverse events occurred. CONCLUSION The diagnostic accuracy rate of EUS-FNA for schwannoma is somewhat low. However, tissue samples were obtained safely using this method. Moreover, it is an important procedure for diagnosing schwannoma, which cannot be diagnosed solely from image findings.

Contrast-enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasonography in gallbladder cancer and pancreatic cancer

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) plays a major role in diagnosing gallbladder (GB) cancer and pancreatic cancer (PC). In cases of GB cancer, EUS allows for precise observations of morphology and wall layers. However, proficiency is required for the morphologic diagnosis of GB tumors. Therefore, contrast-enhanced harmonic EUS (CH-EUS) began to be performed to diagnose GB lesions. CH-EUS enables real-time observation of the hemodynamics of GB tumors. The enhanced patterns generated by CH-EUS improve precision in the diagnosis of such tumors.PC appears as a hypoechoic mass on EUS. However, distinguishing between PC and mass-forming pancreatitis or focal autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is difficult via conventional EUS. CH-EUS allows for differentiating among these diseases (PC is hypoenhanced and heterogeneously enhanced, pancreatitis is isoenhanced, and a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor is hyperenhanced). EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) also contributes to pathological diagnoses of pancreatic lesions. However, certain PC patients cannot be diagnosed via EUS-FNA. PC is heterogeneously enhanced on CH-EUS, and unenhanced regions have been reported to be areas of fibrosis or necrosis. CH-EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (CH-EUS-FNA) permits puncturing of the enhanced area while avoiding necrotic and fibrotic regions. Moreover, as CH-EUS findings have been quantitatively analyzed, a time-intensity curve (TIC) has become usable for diagnosing solid pancreatic lesions. CH-EUS-related techniques have been developed and increasingly utilized in the pancreaticobiliary area.

A CASE OF ENDOCRINE CELL CARCINOMA COMBINED WITH SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA OF THE ESOPHAGUS RESECTED BY ENDOSCOPIC SUBMUCOSAL DISSECTION

A 55-year-old man with esophageal carcinoma received endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in en-bloc resection. Histopathological examination revealed an admixture of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and endocrine cell carcinoma (ECC) with invasion of the deep submucosa. Immunohistochemically, CD 56 and chromogranin A were positive for ECC. Small-cell, medium-cell, and large-cell type ECC were partly surrounded with SCC and partly formed the duct, presenting various patterns. After ESD, he received chemotherapy including CPT-11 plus Cisplatin. He is alive and in good condition today, 55 months after ESD, with no evidence of recurrence.

Pancreatic stents for the prevention of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis should be inserted up to the pancreatic body or tail

AIM To investigate the location to which a pancreatic stent should be inserted to prevent post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis (PEP). METHODS Over a ten-year period at our hospital, 296 patients underwent their first ERCP procedure and had a pancreatic stent inserted; this study included 147 patients who had ERCP performed primarily for biliary investigation and had a pancreatic stent inserted to prevent PEP. We divided these patients into two groups: 131 patients with a stent inserted into the pancreatic head (head group) and 16 patients with a stent inserted up to the pancreatic body or tail (body/tail group). Patient characteristics and ERCP factors were compared between the groups. RESULTS Pancreatic amylase isoenzyme (p-AMY) levels in the head group were significantly higher than those in the body/tail group [138.5 (7.0-2086) vs 78.5 (5.0-1266.5), P = 0.03] [median (range)]. No cases of PEP were detected in the body/tail group [head group, 12 (9.2%)]. Of the risk factors for post-ERCP hyperamylasemia (≥ p-AMY median, 131 IU/L), procedure time ≥ 60 min [odds ratio (OR) 2.65, 95%CI: 1.17-6.02, P = 0.02) and stent insertion into the pancreatic head (OR 3.80, 95%CI: 1.12-12.9, P = 0.03) were identified as independent risk factors by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION Stent insertion up to the pancreatic body or tail reduces the risk of post-ERCP hyperamylasemia and may reduce the risk of PEP.