title: Nasal mucosa narrow band imaging in granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener granulomatosis): A preliminary study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Narrow band imaging (NBI) endoscopy is a technique that allows for real-time visualization of mucosal and submucosal vascular patterns.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Because granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) (Wegener granulomatosis) is an autoimmune disease defined by vascular inflammation, we examined patients with GPA and with NBI to evaluate whether disease-specific mucosal vascular patterns were present. To the best of our knowledge, the use of NBI endoscopy for assessment of an immune system disease such as GPA has never been previously attempted.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a prospective observational study by performing an endoscopic evaluation of upper airways with NBI on patients diagnosed with GPA; on patients with symptoms and signs suggestive for GPA, who were scheduled to undergo nasal biopsy to confirm diagnosis; on patients affected by chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps; and on healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We enrolled 69 patients. NBI vascular patterns in patients with GPA were consistently and recognizably different from healthy mucosal patterns in 53% of our cases. In patients with GPA, biopsy and NBI results were for the most part comparable, except for three cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nasal mucosa NBI endoscopy can be considered a promising rapid and noninvasive live imaging technique for nasal mucosa GPA that, based on further study, could become a supplementary diagnostic tool in the complex workup of GPA and vasculitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trimarchi
authors.forename: Enrica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bozzolo
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pilolli
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bertazzoni
authors.forename: Corrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Campochiaro
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Sabbadini
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bussi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D014890:Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D062048:Narrow Band Imaging; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000098:blood supply; D011446:Prospective Studies