Hybrid argon plasma coagulation in Barrett’s esophagus: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background/Aims@#Patients with Barrett’s esophagus are at increased risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma. Endoscopic therapies aim to eradicate dysplastic and metaplastic tissues. Hybrid argon plasma coagulation (hybrid-APC) utilizes submucosal fluid injection to create a protective cushion prior to ablation that shields the submucosa from injury. We performed a pooled meta-analysis to evaluate the safety and efficacy of hybrid-APC. @*Methods@#We conducted a systematic search of major electronic databases in April 2022. Studies that included patients with dysplastic and non-dysplastic Barrett’s esophagus undergoing treatment with hybrid-APC were eligible for inclusion. Outcome measures included complete remission of intestinal metaplasia (CR-IM), stricture formation, serious adverse events, and number of sessions necessary to achieve CR-IM. @*Results@#Overall pooled CR-IM rate for patients undergoing hybrid-APC was 90.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.872–0.939; I2=0%). Pooled stricture rate was 2.0% (95% CI, 0.005–0.042; I2=0%). Overall serious adverse event rate was 2.7% (95% CI, 0.007–0.055; I2=0%). @*Conclusions@#Results of the current meta-analysis suggest that hybrid-APC is associated with high rates of CR-IM and a favorable safety profile. Interpretation of these results is limited by the inclusion of retrospective cohort and case series data. Randomized controlled trials that standardize treatment and outcome evaluation protocols are necessary to understand how this treatment option is comparable to the current standards of care.

Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Portal Pressure Measurement and Interventions

A growing number of studies have explored endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided vascular catheterization. Potential clinical applications of EUS-guided portal venous access include angiography, measurement of the portosystemic pressure gradient, EUS-guided transhepatic intrahepatic portosystemic shunt creation and portal vein sampling for the evaluation in gastrointestinal cancer. The following article reviews the different devices and techniques employed in these applications.

Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Direct Intervention for Solid Pancreatic Tumors

Development and use of linear-array echoendoscope and endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) have made endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) more of an interventional procedure than a purely diagnostic procedure. This is a literature review of previously published clinical studies on EUS-guided direct intervention for solid pancreatic tumors, including EUS-guided fine needle injection (EUS-FNI) of antitumor agents, EUS-guided fiducial marker placement, EUS-guided brachytherapy and EUS-guided tumor ablation.