ABSTRACT
Objective Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of pancreatic lesions is being increasingly used. The aim of the study was to evaluate its safety, accuracy, and clinical utility in the diagnosis of pancareatic diseases. Methods EUS-guided FNA was performed in 21 patients (13 men and 8 women) with pancreatic lesions (16 head/neck, 5 body/ tail) detected by CT scanining, unltrasonography or clinically suspected diagnosis.Three patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer underwent EUS-guided celiac plexus neurolysis(CPN) for pain-relieving. Results The lesions detected by CT scanning (19 cases) and ultrasonography(16 cases) were all confirmed by EUS. Adequate specimens were obtained by EUS-guided FNA in 18 of 21 lesions and final diagnosis in these subjects was pathologically confirmed. EUS-guided FNA had a sensitivity of 85.0%, specificity of 100.0% and accuracy of 85.7% for diagnosis of pancreatic lesions. The final diagnosis was not obtained in three patients due to inadequate specimens. Three patients with pancreatic carcinoma were decreased in pain scores after EUS-CPN. Two cases with complication of mild pancreatitis or post-FNA fever were found. Conclusions EUS-guided FNA of the pancreas was a safe and effective modality for diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic lesions.