title: Feasibility of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) and biopsy (FNB) with a new slim linear echoendoscope.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) and biopsy (FNB) is considered a very accurate and safe tool for sampling extra-intestinal tumors. Standard echoendosocopes for FNA/FNB are large with a sharpened tip that can be associated with complications. A new slim linearechoendoscope have been developed trying to overcome this limitation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility; safety and diagnostic yield of this newly developed slim echoendoscope for performing EUS-guided FNA/FNB.
  
  
  METHODS
  A pilot observational study was performed. Consecutive patients submitted for a EUS-FNA/FNB were prospectively included in the study. Patients underwent EUS procedure using the new slim linear PENTAX-echoendoscope. Tissue acquisition was done with standard and histology needles. Feasibility and diagnostic yield were evaluated. A descriptive analysis was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  87 patients were included (mean age 66.7 years (range 24-90 years), 45 male. Mean size was of lesions sampled were 33.43 +/- 20.8 mm. Esophagus intubation and access to the second portion of the duodenum (D2) were considered easy in all 87 cases (100%). Nineteen procedures (21.8%) were performed from the esophagus, 42 (48.3%) from the stomach, 22 (25.3%) cases from duodenal bulb, and 4 (4.6%) cases from D2. EUS-FNB was feasible in 85 cases (97.7%), failed in 2 pancreatic lesions accessed from D2. Diagnostic yield was 86.21% (95%CI 77.4- 91.9) in the intention-to-treat analysis and 88.24% (95%CI 79.7- 93.5) in per-protocol analysis. There were no complications related to the technique.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Performing a EUS-FNA/FNB with the newly designed slim scope is feasible and safe for cyto-histopathology diagnosis of intra-intestinal and extra-intestinal mass lesions.
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Iglesias-García
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lariño-Noia
authors.forename: Nicolau
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vallejo-Senra
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: de-la-Iglesia-García
authors.forename: Ihab
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Abdulkader-Nallib
authors.forename: J Enrique
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Domínguez-Muñoz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019723:Endoscopes; D061765:Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D019160:Endosonography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies