Savreet Sarkaria

Advances in Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Biliary Drainage: A Comprehensive Review

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has become the first-line therapy for bile duct drainage. In the hands of experienced endoscopists, conventional ERCP results in a failed cannulation rate of 3% to 5%. This failure can occur more commonly in the setting of altered anatomy or technically difficult cases due to either duodenal or biliary obstruction. In cases of ERCP failure, patients have traditionally been referred for either percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) or surgery. However, both PTBD and surgery have higher than desirable complication rates. Within the last decade, endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage (EUS-BD) has become an attractive alternative to PTBD after failed ERCP. Many groups have reported on the feasibility, efficacy and safety of this technique. This article reviews the indications for ERCP and the currently practiced EUS-BD techniques, including EUS-guided rendezvous, EUS-guided choledochoduodenostomy and EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy.

Pancreatic Necrosectomy Using Covered Esophageal Stents A Novel Approach

Background: Endoscopic necrosectomy for necrotizing pancreatitis has been increasingly used as an alternative to surgical or percutaneous interventions. The use of fully covered esophageal self-expandable metallic stents may provide a safer and more efficient route for internal drainage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of endoscopic treatment of pancreatic necrosis with these stents. Methods: A retrospective study at 2 US academic hospitals included patients with infected pancreatic necrosis from July 2009 to November 2012. These patients underwent transgastric placement of fully covered esophageal metallic stents draining the necrosis. After necrosectomy, patients underwent regular sessions of endoscopic irrigation and debridement of cystic contents. The efficacy endpoint was successful resolution of infected pancreatic necrosis without the need for surgical or percutaneous interventions. Results: Seventeen patients were included with the mean age of 41±12 years. A mean of 5.3±3.4 sessions were required for complete drainage and the follow-up period was 237.6±165 days. Etiology included gallstone pancreatitis (6), alcohol abuse (6), s/p distal pancreatectomy (2), postendoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis (1), medication-induced pancreatitis (1), and hyperlipidemia (1). Mean size of the necrosis was 14.8 cm (SD 5.6 cm), ranging from 8 to 19 cm. Two patients failed endoscopic intervention and required surgery. The only complication was a perforation during tract dilation, which was managed conservatively. Fifteen patients (88%) achieved complete resolution. Conclusions: Endoscopic necrosectomy with covered esophageal metal stents is a safe and successful treatment option for infected pancreatic necrosis.

Endoscopic Ultrasonographic Access and Drainage of the Common Bile Duct

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is currently the standard of care for biliary drainage. In the hands of experienced endoscopists, conventional ERCP has a failed cannulation rate of 3% to 5%. Failures have traditionally been referred for either percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) or surgery. Both PTBD and surgery have higher than desirable complication rates. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage (EUS-BD) is a novel and attractive alternative after failed ERCP. Many groups have reported on the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of this technique. This article reviews the indications and technique currently practiced in EUS-BD, including EUS-guided rendezvous, EUS-guided choledochoduodenostomy, and EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy.

Pre- and post-training session evaluation for interobserver agreement and diagnostic accuracy of probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy for biliary strictures

Current diagnostic modalities for indeterminate biliary strictures offer low accuracy. Probe‐based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) permits microscopic assessment of mucosal structures by obtaining real‐time high‐resolution images of the mucosal layers of the gastrointestinal tract. Previously, an interobserver study demonstrated poor to fair agreement even among experienced confocal endomicroscopy operators. Our objective was to assess interobserver agreement and diagnostic accuracy upon completion of a pCLE training session.

Endoscopic Gallbladder Drainage for Acute Cholecystitis.

Background/Aims Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for cholecystitis. However, gallbladder stenting (GBS) has shown promise in debilitated or high-risk patients. Endoscopic transpapillary GBS and endoscopic ultrasound-guided GBS (EUS-GBS) have been proposed as safe and effective modalities for gallbladder drainage. Methods Data from patients with cholecystitis were prospectively collected from August 2004 to May 2013 from two United States academic university hospitals and analyzed retrospectively. The following treatment algorithm was adopted. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with sphincterotomy and cystic duct stenting was initially attempted. If deemed feasible by the endoscopist, EUS-GBS was then pursued. Results During the study period, 139 patients underwent endoscopic gallbladder drainage. Among these, drainage was performed in 94 and 45 cases for benign and malignant indications, respectively. Successful endoscopic gallbladder drainage was defined as decompression of the gallbladder without incidence of cholecystitis, and was achieved with ERCP and cystic duct stenting in 117 of 128 cases (91%). Successful endoscopic gallbladder drainage was also achieved with EUS-guided gallbladder drainage using transmural stent placement in 11 of 11 cases (100%). Complications occurred in 11 cases (8%). Conclusions Endoscopic gallbladder drainage techniques are safe and efficacious methods for gallbladder decompression in non-surgical patients with comorbidities.

Probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy in the pancreatic duct provides direct visualization of ductal structures and aids in clinical management ☆

BACKGROUND Confocal endomicroscopy provides real-time evaluation of various sites and has been used to provide detailed endomicroscopic imaging of the biliary tree. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and utility of probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy of the pancreatic duct as compared to cytologic and histologic results in patients with indeterminate pancreatic duct strictures. METHODS Retrospective data on patients with indeterminate pancreatic strictures undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and confocal endomicroscopy were collected from two tertiary care centres. Real-time confocal endomicroscopy images were obtained during ERCP and immediate interpretation according to the Miami Classification was performed. RESULTS 18 patients underwent confocal endomicroscopy for evaluation of pancreatic strictures from July 2011 to December 2012. Mean pancreatic duct size was 4.2mm (range 2.2-8mm). Eight cases were interpreted as benign, 4 as malignant, 4 suggestive of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms, and 2 appeared normal. Cytology/histopathology for 15/16 cases showed similar results to confocal endomicroscopy interpretation. Kappa coefficient of agreement between cyto/histopathology and confocal endomicroscopy was 0.8 (p=0.0001). Pancreatic confocal endomicroscopy changed management in four patients, changing the type of surgery from total pancreatectomy to whipple. CONCLUSIONS Confocal endomicroscopy is effective in assisting with diagnosis of indeterminate pancreatic duct strictures as well as mapping of abnormal pancreatic ducts prior to surgery.

Performance of Endoscopic Ultrasound in Staging Rectal Adenocarcinoma Appropriate for Primary Surgical Resection

BACKGROUND & AIMS Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) often is used to stage rectal cancer and thereby guide treatment. Prior assessments of its accuracy have been limited by small sets of data collected from tumors of varying stages. We aimed to characterize the diagnostic performance of EUS analysis of rectal cancer, paying particular attention to determining whether patients should undergo primary surgical resection. METHODS We performed a retrospective observational study using procedural databases and electronic medical records from 4 academic tertiary-care hospitals, collecting data on EUS analyses from 2000 through 2012. Data were analyzed from 86 patients with rectal cancer initially staged as T2N0 by EUS. The negative predictive value (NPV) was calculated by comparing initial stages determined by EUS with those determined by pathology analysis of surgical samples. Logistic regression models were used to assess variation in diagnostic performance with case attributes. RESULTS EUS excluded advanced tumor depth with an NPV of 0.837 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.742-0.908), nodal metastasis with an NPV of 0.872 (95% CI, 0.783-0.934), and both together with an NPV of 0.767 (95% CI, 0.664-0.852) compared with pathology analysis. Incorrect staging by EUS affected treatment decision making for 20 of 86 patients (23.3%). Patient age at time of the procedure correlated with the NPV for metastasis to lymph node, but no other patient features were associated significantly with diagnostic performance. CONCLUSIONS Based on a multicenter retrospective study, EUS staging of rectal cancer as T2N0 excludes advanced tumor depth and nodal metastasis, respectively, with an approximate NPV of 85%, similar to that of other modalities. EUS has an error rate of approximately 23% in identifying disease appropriate for surgical resection, which is lower than previously reported.

S1301 Role of Repeat Endoscopic Ultrasonography with Fine Needle Aspiration in the Diagnosis of Indeterminant Pancreatic Cysts

BACKGROUND: The current Consensus Guidelines for management of IPMN-Br recommend surgical resection of suspected IPMN-Br with cyst size >3 cm cysts irrespective of symptoms, and 3 cm, and 65% <3 cm in size. Among IPMN <3 cm, 72 % (28/39) had associated worrisome features. The prevalence of high-risk lesions in our study was 35% (21/60). A total of 82 % (49/60) of IPMN-Br met guidelines recommendation for surgical resection including 57% (18 of 26) of low-risk lesions and 100% (21/21) of highrisk lesions. All 11 cases of IPMN-Br that would have been recommended for conservative management were low-risk lesions. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value consensus guidelines for correctly defining high and low risk IPMN-Br was 100%, 28%, 43 %, 100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Application of Consensus Guidelines to our patients would have recommended surgical resection to all histology proven high-risk IPMN-Br. All IPMN-Br which would have recommended for conservative management, were histologically low-risk lesions. The risk of high risk pathology among <3 cm IPMN without other worrisome features, is almost nonexistent and these lesions may selected for observation.