The advent of the first electric driven EUS-guided 17 gauge core needle biopsy - A pilot study on subepithelial lesions.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: This pilot study aimed to evaluate safety and tissue sampling from subepithelial lesions (SEL) in the upper gastrointestinal tract with a novel electric motor driven endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)-guided 17-gauge (G) size core needle biopsy (CNB) instrument. METHODS: An investigator-led prospective open label, performance and safety control study, including seven patients (female n = 4, median 71 y, range 28-75) with a determined SEL (median size 30 mm, range 17-150 mm) in the upper digestive tract (stomach n = 6, duodenum n = 1) were eligible and later followed up 14 days after index procedure. All investigations were completed according to protocol with three FNB 22-G passes with four fanning strokes and two EndoDrill® 17-G passes with three fanning strokes. RESULTS: Quality of samples as 'visible pieces' (>5 mm): FNB (n = 5/7) (fragmented/blood imbibed n = 1, poor tissue quantity n = 1) compared with 17-G CNB (n = 7/7). Histological result which led to final diagnosis (leiomyoma n = 2, adenocarcinoma n = 1, schwannoma n = 1, neuroendocrine tumour n = 1, desmoid tumour n = 1 and gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) n = 1) could be obtained with the 17-G CNB instrument in all seven patients. FNB technique reached correct diagnosis in six patients. No serious adverse event were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: By using an electric driven 17-G biopsy device, a true cylinder of core tissue can be obtained in one single puncture from the area of interest reducing the need for a second sampling. The absolute benefit of EUS-guided CNB is that the sample can be handled and histologically prepared in the same manner as standard percutaneous core needle sample, e.g., breast and prostate cancer.

Visualization of liver lesions in standardized video-documented ultrasonography - inter-observer agreement and effect of contrast injection.

UNLABELLED: The AIM of this study was to evaluate the inter-observer agreement and effect of contrast injection on the visibility of liver lesions by radiologists reviewing ultrasound examinations acquired by a radiographer using a standardized examination protocol. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A retrospective review was conducted by two radiologists, independently of each other, of 115 ultrasound examinations of the liver with standardized examination protocols between January 2008 and December 2012. All patients included in the study had undergone surgery for colorectal cancer. Patients attending the two-year follow-up were included. RESULTS: Focal findings, the most common of which were cysts, were seen in 42-43 out of the 115 patients before intravenous contrast and in 46-47 patients after intravenous contrast (p=0.012). The inter-observer agreement for focal findings was 86.1% before contrast, and 90.4% after contrast (n.s.), and the corresponding kappa values were 0.72 and 0.84, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A good inter-observer agreement between two radiologists reviewing ultrasound examinations (standardized ultrasound cine-loop method acquired by a radiographer) after surgery for colorectal cancer was obtained. Injection of contrast medium increased the visibility of liver lesions.