title: Endoscopic ultrasound and fine needle aspiration for the evaluation of pancreatic masses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) are accurate for the preoperative staging of pancreatic ductal carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective medical record review.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective registry of 98 patients having EUS-FNA for peripancreatic masses from April 1994 to April 1998 was analyzed.
  
  
  METHODS
  The accuracy of EUS-FNA for preoperative diagnosis and staging of peripancreatic neoplasms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-eight patients, aged 41 to 91 years (mean age, 67 years) with peripancreatic masses were evaluated by EUS-FNA. All patients had initial computed tomography scanning with a mass seen in 49 patients, "fullness" to the pancreas in 28 patients, and no mass seen in 21 patients. Evaluation with EUS-FNA revealed 22 benign lesions, 18 T2 masses, 37 T3 masses, 1 T4 mass, and 20 masses representing nonpancreatic tumors. Results of EUS-FNA of adjacent lymph nodes were positive in 27 patients. Twenty-seven patients had surgical resection or palliation permitting operative and pathologic staging. On comparison of EUS-FNA staging with surgical staging, 12 patients were the same stage, 14 patients were upstaged, and 1 patient was downstaged. The remaining patients who did not have surgery have been followed up for a mean of 15 months. Overall accuracy of EUS-FNA for differentiating benign from malignant masses was 96%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration is a useful technique for the evaluation of pancreatic masses. It is highly accurate for differentiating between benign and malignant lesions and for predicting T stage, but is limited for predicting nodal status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Scott & White Clinic and Memorial Hospital, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Temple, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suits
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Frazee
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Erickson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D019160:Endosonography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies