Huikai Li

Comparison of endoscopic ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in assessment of detailed structures of pancreatic cystic neoplasms

AIM To evaluate the advantages of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in the assessment of detailed structures of pancreatic cystic neoplasms (PCNs) compared to computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS All patients with indeterminate PCNs underwent CT, MRI, and EUS. The detailed information, including size, number, the presence of a papilla/nodule, the presence of a septum, and the morphology of the pancreatic duct of PCNs were compared among the three imaging modalities. The size of each PCN was determined using the largest diameter measured. A cyst consisting of several small cysts was referred to as a mother-daughter cyst. Disagreement among the three imaging modalities regarding the total number of mother cysts resulted in the assumption that the correct number was the one in which the majority of imaging modalities indicated. RESULTS A total of 52 females and 16 males were evaluated. The median size of the cysts was 42.5 mm by EUS, 42.0 mm by CT and 38.0 mm by MRI; there was no significant difference in size as assessed among the three imaging techniques. The diagnostic sensitivity and ability of EUS to classify PCNs were 98.5% (67/68) and 92.6% (63/68), respectively. These percentages were higher than those of CT (73.1%, P < 0.001; 17.1%, P < 0.001) and MRI (81.3%, P = 0.001; 20.3%, P < 0.001). EUS was also able to better assess the number of daughter cysts in mother cysts than CT (P = 0.003); however, there was no significant difference between EUS and MRI in assessing mother-daughter cysts (P = 0.254). The papilla/nodule detection rate by EUS was 35.3% (24/68), much higher than those by CT (5.8%, 3/52) and MRI (6.3%, 4/64). The detection rate of the septum by EUS was 60.3% (41/68), which was higher than those by CT (34.6%, 18/52) and by MRI (46.9%, 30/64); the difference between EUS and CT was significant (P = 0.02). The rate of visualizing the pancreatic duct using EUS was 100%, whereas using CT and MRI it was less than 10%. CONCLUSION EUS helps visualize the detailed structures of PCNs and has many advantages over CT and MRI. EUS is valuable in the diagnosis and assessment of PCNs.

Insulated-tip knife endoscopic resection of a giant pedunculated colon polyp

re 1. A, A giant pedunculated polyp in the sigmoid colon, 4 cm 4 cm in size with a 2.5-cm–long, 1.2-cm–thick stalk. B, Two long clips were bidinally placed on the stalk about 5 mm above the base. C, The stalk was cut with an insulated-tip knife about 7 mm away from the clips to avoid ntial conductive electric injury. D, To further prevent bleeding, an Endoloop was placed around the residual stalk.

Endoscopic submucosal tunnel dissection and endoscopic submucosal dissection for large superficial esophageal squamous cell neoplasm: efficacy and safety study to guide future practice

Background and study aimsESTD and ESD are currently the two primary treatment options for superficial esophageal squamous cell neoplasm (SESCN) in China. However, in larger cases, ESD proves to be technically challenging and time saving, whereas ESTD exhibits promising efficacy. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of these two techniques for large SESCN.Patients and methodsA total of 150 patients with solitary large SESCN that underwent either ESTD (n = 52) or ESD (n = 98) between August 2011 and June 2016 were included in this study. Both efficacy and safety clinical data were collected and analyzed.ResultsAll of the 150 patients were found to successfully undergo ESTD or ESD with 92.68 ± 67.96 (mean ± SD) min. The specimen area was measured to be 13.79 ± 7.44 (mean ± SD) cm2 and the dissection speed was 17.99 ± 10.40 (mean ± SD) mm2/min. En bloc resection and R0 resection were achieved in 91.33% (137/150) and 86.00% (129/150) of the cases, respectively. A total of 8.67% (13/150) were found to have intra-operative adverse events. Based on statistical analysis, ESTD was found to have a higher dissection speed and a similar adverse event rate compared with ESD. Moreover, a long operation time was found to be an independent risk factor for intra-operative adverse events.ConclusionsESTD and ESD both were found to be effective and safe treatment options for the treatment of large SESCN. ESTD appeared to improve operation efficacy, which was reflected in a higher dissection speed compared with ESD. We also demonstrate that long operation times should be avoided as much as possible in order to reduce intra-operative adverse events.

Ling classification describes endoscopic progressive process of achalasia and successful peroral endoscopy myotomy prevents endoscopic progression of achalasia

AIM To verify the hypothesis that the Ling classification describes the endoscopic progressive process of achalasia and determine the ability of successful peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) to prevent endoscopic progression of achalasia. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the endoscopic findings, symptom duration, and manometric data in patients with achalasia. A total of 359 patients (197 women, 162 men) with a mean age of 42.1 years (range, 12-75 years) were evaluated. Symptom duration ranged from 2 to 360 mo, with a median of 36 mo. Patients were classified with Ling type I (n = 119), IIa (n = 106), IIb (n = 60), IIc (n = 60), or III (n = 14), according to the Ling classification. Of the 359 patients, 349 underwent POEM, among whom 21 had an endoscopic follow-up for more than 2 years. Pre-treatment and post-treatment Ling classifications of these 21 patients were compared. RESULTS Symptom duration increased significantly with increasing Ling classification (from I to III) (P < 0.05), whereas lower esophageal sphincter pressure decreased with increasing Ling type (from I to III) (P < 0.05). There was no difference in sex ratio or onset age among the Ling types, although the age at time of diagnosis was higher in Ling types IIc and III than in Ling types I, IIa, and IIb. Of the 21 patients, 19 underwent high-resolution manometry both before and after treatment. The mean preoperative and postoperative lower esophageal sphincter pressure were 34.6 mmHg (range, 15.3-59.4 mmHg) and 15.0 mmHg (range, 2.1-21.6 mmHg), respectively, indicating a statistically significant decrease after POEM. All of the 21 patients were treated successfully by POEM (postoperative Eckardt score ≤ 3) and still had the same Ling type during a mean follow-up period of 37.8 mo (range, 24-51 mo). CONCLUSION The Ling classification represents the endoscopic progressive process of achalasia and may be able to serve as an endoscopic assessment criterion for achalasia. Successful POEM (Eckardt score ≤ 3) seems to have the ability to prevent endoscopic evolvement of achalasia. However, studies with larger populations are warranted to confirm our findings.

Incidents and adverse events of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration for pancreatic cystic lesions

AIM To evaluate the diagnostic value and safety mainly regarding incidents of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) for pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs). METHODS A total of 150 consecutive patients with suspected PCLs were prospectively enrolled from April 2015 to November 2016. We finally enrolled 140 patients undergoing EUS-FNA. We compared the diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA and pathological diagnosis, which is regarded as the gold standard, for PCLs. Patients undergoing EUS-FNA at least 1 wk preoperatively were monitored for incidents and adverse events to evaluate its safety. RESULTS There were 88 (62.9%) women and 52 (37.1%) men among 140 patients, with a mean age of 50.1 (± 15.4) years. There were 67 cysts located in the head/uncinate of the pancreas and 67 in the body/tail, and 6 patients had at least 1 cyst in the pancreas. There were 75 patients undergoing surgery and 55 undergoing EUS-FNA with interval at least 1 wk before other operations, with 3 patients undergoing the procedure twice. The accuracy of EUS-FNA in differentiating benign and malignant lesions was 97.3% (73/75), while the accuracy of characterizing PCL subtype was 84.0% (63/75). The incident rate was 37.9% (22/58), whereas only 1 AE was observed in 58 cases. CONCLUSION EUS-FNA is effective and safe for diagnosis of PCLs, however procedure-related incidents are common. Caution should be taken in patients undergoing EUS-FNA.

Fibrin sealant for closure of mucosal penetration at the cardia during peroral endoscopic myotomy: A retrospective study at a single center

AIM To assess the efficacy and safety of fibrin sealant for closure of mucosal penetration at the cardia during peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM). METHODS Twenty-four patients who underwent POEM and experienced mucosal injury of the cardia during the procedure were retrospectively identified. Of the 24 patients, 21 had mucosal penetration and 3 had only slight mucosal damage without penetration. The 21 patients with mucosal penetration received fibrin sealant for closure at the site of penetration. Penetration-related characteristics, treatment, and recovery were reviewed for all 21 patients to assess the efficacy and safety of fibrin sealant for closure of mucosal penetration at the cardia. Clinical data, including general characteristics, procedure-related parameters, Eckardt scores, lower esophageal sphincter pressures (LESP), and esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) results, were analyzed to determine their influence on treatment success after mucosal penetration during POEM. RESULTS All 21 patients had a solitary mucosal penetration in the cardia (12 in esophageal region of the cardia, 9 in the stomach region of the cardia, and 1 in both the esophageal and stomach regions). Twelve had a hole-like penetration and 9 had a linear penetration. For those with a hole-like penetration, the mean size was 0.14 cm2 (0.02-0.32 cm2). For those with a linear penetration, the median size was 0.37 cm (0.10-1.00 cm). Closure of the mucosal penetration using fibrin sealant was performed successfully in all 21 patients (two patients required 5 mL fibrin sealant, and the remaining 19 patients required 2.5 mL). Two patients had a nasogastric tube placed for five days after POEM; the remaining 19 patients were kept fasting for 3 d. All 21 patients were discharged after a median of 5 d (range: 5-7 d) postoperatively. During a median 42 mo (range: 9-62 mo) follow-up, all 21 patients with a mucosal penetration successfully healed without the occurrence of infection, ulcer, or esophagitis. Furthermore, the median LESP decreased from 31.9 mmHg (range: 21.9-67.1 mmHg) preoperatively to 20.3 mmHg (range: 6.0-41.0 mmHg) postoperatively (P < 0.05). The median preoperative and postoperative Eckardt scores were 5.0 (range; 4-10) and 1.0 (range: 0-4), respectively (P < 0.05). Of the 21 patients with mucosal penetration, symptom remission, which is defined as a postoperative Eckardt score ≤ 3, was achieved in 20 patients (95.2%) indicating that mucosal penetration did not influence the success of POEM treatment if closed successfully using fibrin sealant. CONCLUSION Fibrin sealant is safe and effective for closure of mucosal penetration during POEM. Mucosal penetrations do not appear to influence the treatment success of POEM if closed successfully using fibrin sealant. Additional studies regarding the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of fibrin sealant for closure of larger mucosal penetrations is warranted.

New treatment of the pancreatic cystic neoplasm: Endoscopic ultrasonography-guided radiofrequency ablation combined with lauromacrogol ablation

Pancreatic cystic neoplasms (PCNs) are being increasingly detected because of rapid advances in radiologic technology and an increased imaging demand. The management of PCNs is challenging as most of these neoplasms are asymptomatic, but have malignant potential, and surgical resection has substantial perioperative morbidity and mortality. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)-guided ablation, as a minimally invasive treatment, has received increasing attention in the past few years. However, the resolution after EUS-guided ablative therapy still needs to be improved. In this case report, EUS-guided radiofrequency ablation combined with lauromacrogol ablation was applied for the first time in the treatment of PCN, and it showed complete resolution at a 3-month follow-up.

New criteria to differentiate between mucinous cystic neoplasm and serous cystic neoplasm in pancreas by endoscopic ultrasound: A preliminarily confirmed outcome of 41 patients

Background and Objectives: The ability to distinguish between mucinous cystic neoplasm (MCN) and serous cystic neoplasm (SCN) in the pancreas preoperatively by endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) remains a clinical challenge. To address this problem, we have developed new criteria using EUS findings and cyst fluid carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in the clinic. In this study, the validity and reliability of these criteria were assessed. Materials and Methods: Between April of 2015 and May of 2016, a total of 59 patients with pancreatic cystic neoplasms underwent EUS and ultimately received surgery in our hospital. Of the 59 patients, 21 were pathologically verified to have MCN while 20 were verified to have SCN in the pancreas. For these 41 patients with MCN or SCN, EUS findings and cyst fluid CEA were reviewed. Results: For the 41 patients reviewed, the new criteria were found to identify MCN with 85.71% sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI], 64%–97%), 80.00% specificity (CI, 56%-94%), and 82.93% accuracy (CI, 68%–93%). Conclusion: These new criteria were preliminarily found to produce excellent results, with 82.93% accuracy determined for the differential diagnosis between MCN and SCN by EUS. However, a further prospective study with a larger population must be carried out to fully assess these new criteria.