A prospective multicenter evaluation of a new side-port endoscopic ultrasound-fine-needle aspiration in solid upper gastrointestinal lesions.
OBJECTIVE
Diagnostic yield of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-fine-needle aspiration (FNA) varies depending on the equipment used and the site targeted. Multiple needle passes are usually required to obtain a diagnosis. A new needle incorporating a side-port carries a theoretical advantage regarding acquisition of cytological material. The aim of the study was to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the Olympus side-port needle in solid upper gastrointestinal indications.


METHODS
A prospective multicenter evaluation of patients referred for EUS-FNA for solid lesions was performed across six tertiary gastroenterology referral centers in four capital cities in Australia. The main outcome measures include cytological diagnosis, number of needle passes required for diagnosis and complication rates.


RESULTS
Thirty patients (17 men; 13 women) with a mean age of 67.5 years were studied. Indications included pancreatic or biliary mass in 24 patients, retroperitoneal or periduodenal mass in 2, enlarged lymph node in 2, a gastric submucosal tumor in 1 and a subcarinal mass in 1. The mean size of the lesions was 3.47 cm (range, 0.5-8 cm). All but one case had a diagnosis made (96.7%). The mean number of passes required to reach a diagnosis was 1.7. In neoplastic lesions the diagnosis was made with a mean of 1.6 passes. No complications were encountered.


CONCLUSIONS
The new EUS-FNA needle with side port appears effective and safe in solid upper gastrointestinal EUS-FNA indications.
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia. arthur@kaffes.com
Arthur J
AJ
Kaffes
Robert Ym
RY
Chen
William
W
Tam
Ian
I
Norton
Sarah
S
Cho
Ben
B
Devereaux
Rhys
R
Vaughan
D000368:Aged; D061765:Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies