Brush Cytology Performance for the Assessment of Biliopancreatic Strictures.

INTRODUCTION: Brush cytology is commonly used during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for the diagnostic evaluation of biliopancreatic strictures. However, since the overall sensitivity of brush cytology is poor, the exclusion of malignancy is difficult. Recognition of factors related to the patient, technique or lesion may help improve the diagnostic yield of brush cytology. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic yield of brush cytology in the assessment of biliopancreatic strictures and identify predictive factors associated with a positive diagnosis of malignancy. METHODS: Retrospective study that evaluated all consecutive patients that underwent brush cytology for the investigation of biliopancreatic strictures in a tertiary center, between January 2012 and January 2018. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-five patients that underwent 182 procedures were included. A diagnosis of malignancy was confirmed in 110 patients (66.7%), of whom 62 had positive brush cytology (sensitivity 53.7%, specificity 98.5%, accuracy 69.8%). On the multivariate analysis, age ≥68 years (OR 4.83, 95% CI 1.04-22.37) and lesions suspicious of metastasis on cross-sectional imaging (OR 8.58, 95% CI 1.70-43.38) were independently associated with a positive result. Subanalysis of the patients presenting with these two factors (n = 26) revealed an increase in the diagnostic yield (sensitivity 80.8%). CONCLUSION: Age ≥68 years and lesions suspicious of metastasis on cross-sectional imaging are independent factors associated with a positive result. Patient selection taking these factors into account may increase the diagnostic yield of brush cytology.

Comparison of different histological indexes in the assessment of UC activity and their accuracy regarding endoscopic outcomes and faecal calprotectin levels.

OBJECTIVE: Histological remission is being increasingly acknowledged as a therapeutic endpoint in patients with UC. The work hereafter described aimed to evaluate the concordance between three histological classification systems-Geboes Score (GS), Nancy Index (NI) and RobartsHistopathologyIndex (RHI), as well as to evaluate their association with the endoscopic outcomes and the faecal calprotectin (FC) levels. DESIGN: Biopsy samples from 377 patients with UC were blindly evaluated using GS, NI and RHI. The results were compared with the patients' Mayo Endoscopic Score and FC levels. RESULT: GS, NI and RHI have a good concordance concerning the distinction between patients in histological remission or activity. RHI was particularly close to NI, with 100% of all patients classified as being in remission with NI being identified as such with RHI and 100% of all patients classified as having activity with RHI being identified as such with NI. These scores could also predict the Mayo Endoscopic Score and the FC levels, with their sensitivity and specificity levels depending on the chosen cut-offs. Moreover, higher FC levels were statistically associated with the presence of neutrophils in the epithelium, as well as with ulceration or erosion of the intestinal mucosa. CONCLUSIONS: GS, NI and RHI histopathological scoring systems are comparable in what concerns patients' stratification into histological remission/activity. Additionally, FC levels are increased when neutrophils are present in the epithelium and the intestinal mucosa has erosions or ulcers. The presence of neutrophils in the epithelium is, indeed, the main marker of histological activity.