Post written by Antonio Facciorusso, MD, from the Gastroenterology Unit, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy. The low sensitivity, reported to be as high as 54% in differentiating mucinous from non-mucinous pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs), represents a major drawback of standard endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) fine-needle aspiration (FNA). Recently, a through-the-needle microforceps biopsy (TTNB) device that can …

Continue reading Diagnostic yield of EUS-guided through-the-needle biopsy in pancreatic cysts

Post written by Andrea Lisotti, MD, from the Gastroenterology Unit, Hospital of Imola, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has a pivotal role in the management of pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal neoplasms with a 5-year survival that has not significantly increased over the last …

Continue reading Repeat EUS-FNA of pancreatic masses after nondiagnostic or inconclusive results

          Post written by Sang Hyub Lee, MD, PhD, and Haeryoung Kim, MD, PhD, from the Department of Internal Medicine and Liver Research Institute, and the Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic …

Continue reading Comparison of liquid-based cytology with conventional smear cytology for EUS-guided FNA of solid pancreatic masses

Post written by Antonio Facciorusso, MD, PhD, from the Gastroenterology Unit, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) fine-needle aspiration (FNA) did not prove to outperform bite-on-bite biopsy in patients with subepithelial lesions (SELs) showing a pooled diagnostic yield as high as 60%. Based on this evidence, current guidelines recommend EUS-guided sampling only in …

Continue reading Comparison between fine-needle biopsy and fine-needle aspiration for EUS-guided sampling of subepithelial lesions

Post written by Kosuke Okuwaki, MD, PhD, from the Department of Gastroenterology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan. The primary aim of this prospective exploratory study was to use stereomicroscopy to estimate the stereomicroscopically visible white core (SVWC) cutoff length required for the pathological diagnosis of samples obtained using 22-gauge needles. Rapid on-site cytologic …

Continue reading On-site stereomicroscope quality evaluations to estimate white core cutoff lengths using EUS-FNA biopsy sampling

Post written by Antonio Facciorusso, MD, PhD, from the Endoscopy Unit, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy. EUS-guided tissue acquisition (EUS-TA) for cytology through fine-needle aspiration (FNA) or fine-needle biopsy (FNB) using specialized core needles has become a central technique in the assessment of pancreatic masses. The most important pitfall associated with this procedure is a …

Continue reading Comparative accuracy of needle sizes and designs for EUS tissue sampling of solid pancreatic masses