Diagnostic accuracy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration for suspected pancreatic malignancy in relation to the size of lesions.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is an accurate method for cytological confirmation of pancreatic malignancy, but it has been unknown whether its diagnostic accuracy for pancreatic lesions was affected by their size, location, or size of needles. Our aim was to investigate the accuracy of EUS-FNA for suspected pancreatic malignancy in relation to these factors, especially to the size of lesions. METHODS: In a tertiary referral center, EUS-FNAs for 120 suspected pancreatic malignancies in 115 patients based on other imaging studies were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: Overall accuracy of EUS-FNA was 96% (115/120), with sensitivity of 95% (76/80), specificity of 98% (39/40), positive predictive value of 99% (76/77), and negative predictive value of 91% (39/43). Accuracies for lesions less than 10mm, 11-20mm, 21-30mm, and more than 31mm were 96%, 95%, 96%, and 100%, respectively; those for lesions in the head, the body, and the tail of the pancreas were 96%, 95%, and 95%, respectively. Accuracies for 22-gauge and 25-gauge needle were 93% and 98%, respectively. CONCLUSION: EUS-FNA was accurate in the evaluation of suspected pancreatic malignancy regardless of its size, location, or size of needles. It was useful also in the confirmation of small pancreatic malignancies less than 10mm.

Combined brush cytology and stent placement in a single session for presumed malignant biliary stricture.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Biliary stricture may be benign or malignant and causes obstructive jaundice. Brush cytology is a simple technique for diagnosing the cause of biliary stricture; however, its sensitivity has been reported to be low. A technique that comprises diagnosing the cause of stricture with a satisfactory sensitivity and relieving jaundice is required. This study was designed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of brush cytology and the feasibility of the subsequent stent placement in a single endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) session performed for presumed malignant biliary strictures. METHODS: Data were collected by reviewing the medical records of 100 consecutive patients with suspected malignant biliary stricture who underwent brush cytology followed by stent placement at our center. Diagnostic performance of brush cytology, completion rate of the whole procedures comprising brush cytology and stent placement, and complications were evaluated. RESULT: Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and overall accuracy of brush cytology were 83%, 100%, 100%, 33% and 84%, respectively. Biliary stent was successfully inserted for all patients (100%) subsequent to brush cytology in a single ERCP session. Eight patients (8%) had complications. CONCLUSION: Brush cytology was performed with much higher sensitivity of 83% than those of previous reports and the subsequent stent placement was successfully completed in all cases. For presumed malignant biliary stricture, brush cytology should be selected as an initial attempt because this technique is simple and enables subsequent stent placement in a single ERCP session.

Asymptomatic curable pancreatic ductal carcinoma detected during the follow-up of pancreatic cysts distinct from carcinoma.

Recent studies have reported that pancreatic ductal carcinomas are frequently found during the follow-up of pancreatic cysts distinct from carcinoma; however, the majority of them are detected in advanced stages. Therefore, the early detection of metachronous ductal carcinomas is one of the issues in the management of pancreatic cysts. A 25-mm pancreatic cyst in the pancreatic head was found during an annual check-up in a 70-year-old woman. She was followed up every 6 months by abdominal ultrasound (US) and blood tests, and every 12 months by an additional magnetic resonance imaging scan. Twelve months later, abdominal US revealed a suspicious low-echoic area of 17 mm diameter in the pancreatic body. Eighteen months later, her serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level rose to 92 U/ml. Endoscopic retrograde pancreatography demonstrated a strictured main pancreatic duct (MPD) of 15 mm in length in the pancreatic body. A cytological examination of the brushed MPD revealed adenocarcinoma. The patient underwent distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy after chemoradiotherapy. An histological examination revealed a ductal carcinoma of 26 mm diameter in the pancreatic body, which was successfully resected. This case might help to establish an optimal surveillance method to detect metachronous ductal carcinomas arising from the pancreas harboring cystic lesions.

Size of mural nodule as an indicator of surgery for branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas during follow-up.

BACKGROUND: A mural nodule is a strong predictive factor for malignancy in branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) of the pancreas, but the nodule size has hardly been considered. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a mural nodule of 10 mm was appropriate as an indicator of surgery for IPMN during follow-up. METHODS: The follow-up outcomes of 100 patients who had branch duct IPMN without mural nodules or who had branch duct IPMN with mural nodules of less than 9 mm in a tertiary care setting were investigated retrospectively. The patients underwent abdominal ultrasound (US) every 3 months and additional imaging examinations or cytologic examination of pancreatic juice when necessary. Surgery was recommended to them when a mural nodule developed or when a nodule enlarged and reached 10 mm. RESULTS: During an average follow-up period of 97 months, branch duct IPMNs developed mural nodules that reached 10 mm in 5 patients (0.62% per year). In one patient the IPMN was revealed to be non-invasive carcinoma by resection, 1 IPMN was shown to be malignant by further follow-up, and 3 were not resected because of refusal or the patient's age. In 7 patients, mural nodules stayed within 9 mm. The remaining 88 patients lacked mural nodules in their branch duct IPMNs throughout the follow-up. The occurrence of invasive carcinoma around the IPMN was not indicated by imaging examinations in any patient. Univariate analysis showed that the size of the cyst at baseline significantly predicted the development of a mural nodule that reached 10 mm during follow-up (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A mural nodule of 10 mm is appropriate as an indicator of surgery in the follow-up of branch duct IPMN.

Improved diagnosis of well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma with gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging and Sonazoid contrast-enhanced ultrasonography.

AIM: Two new imaging modalities have been developed recently that are directed at the focal liver lesions: gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Sonazoid contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS). We investigated the usefulness of these modalities for the diagnosis of small (<2 cm), well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: A total of 15 nodules from 13 patients, which were histologically diagnosed as well-differentiated HCC, were subjected to this study. Lesions that showed hypervascularity in the arterial phase and washout in the portal or late non-hemodynamic phase were regarded as HCC in the dynamic studies of all imaging modalities. RESULTS: By multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), six of 15 (40%) nodules were diagnosed as HCC. Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI diagnosed HCC in nine of the 15 (60%) nodules. Of the nine nodules that were not diagnosed by MDCT, four could be diagnosed by Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI. In Sonazoid CEUS, 10 of 15 nodules (67%) were diagnosed as HCC. Four of nine nodules that could not be diagnosed as HCC by MDCT, were diagnosed by Sonazoid CEUS. A total of 11 of the 15 (73%) nodules were diagnosed as HCC by Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and Sonazoid CEUS in addition to MDCT. CONCLUSION: Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and Sonazoid CEUS had greater diagnostic value for small, well-differentiated HCC than did conventional MDCT.

Slight dilatation of the main pancreatic duct and presence of pancreatic cysts as predictive signs of pancreatic cancer: a prospective study.

PURPOSE: To prospectively determine whether slight dilatation of the main pancreatic duct and pancreatic cysts detected at ultrasonography (US) are predictive signs of pancreatic cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research protocol was approved by the institutional review board, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants. One thousand fifty-eight subjects (age range, 36-80 years; mean, 61.8 years) with various kinds of abnormal US findings in the pancreas were enrolled from 1999 to 2002, after exclusion of pancreatic neoplasm and other malignant diseases. The endpoint was the subsequent development of pancreatic cancer, and the outcome was determined at the end of December 2007. To identify independent predictive variables for the subsequent development of pancreatic cancer, various baseline characteristics were examined by using a Cox regression model and a Cox proportional hazards model. The cumulative incidence of pancreatic cancer was estimated by using the Kaplan-Meyer method. RESULTS: During the mean follow-up of 75.5 months (+/- 17.3[standard deviation]), pancreatic cancer subsequently developed in 12 of 1058 subjects. The risk of pancreatic cancer was significantly elevated in subjects with slight dilatation (> or = 2.5 mm) of the main pancreatic duct or presence of cyst (s) (> or = 5 mm). The respective hazard ratios were 6.38 (P = .018) and 6.23 (P = .003). For subjects with both findings, the 5-year cumulative risk of pancreatic cancer was 5.62% (95% confidence interval: .37%, 13.03%), and the age-and sex-adjusted hazard ratio compared with the risk in the absence of these findings was 27.50 (P = .002). CONCLUSION: Main pancreatic duct dilatation (> or = 2.5 mm) and presence of a pancreatic cyst (> or = 5 mm) were both strong independent predictors of the subsequent development of pancreatic cancer. (c) RSNA, 2010.

A natural course of main duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas with lower likelihood of malignancy.

OBJECTIVES: Main duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) of the pancreas include neoplasms with varying likelihood of progression to malignancy. The aim of this study was to investigate a natural course of main duct IPMNs with a lower likelihood of malignancy. METHODS: Twenty main duct IPMNs with a lower likelihood of malignancy, which was defined as mural nodule of less than 10 mm or no visualized mural nodule, and negative result of cytological examination of pancreatic juice, underwent regular ultrasound every 3 months. Special imaging examinations and additional pancreatic juice cytological examination were performed when necessary. Surgery was considered when a mural nodule enlarged to 10 mm or the cytological examination result indicated malignancy. RESULTS: During a mean of 70 months, 12 IPMNs (60%) did not progress and 6 (30%) progressed within a lower likelihood of malignancy. The remaining 2 IPMNs (10%) progressed to meet the criteria for resection, underwent surgery, and were demonstrated to be carcinomas. CONCLUSIONS: Main duct IPMN with a lower likelihood of malignancy was divided into 2 subgroups: neoplasm that progressed and that which did not progress during its natural course. The former should be resected considering its malignant potential, whereas the latter may be managed nonsurgically as long as it stays unchanged.

Scraping cytology with a guidewire for pancreatic-ductal strictures.

BACKGROUND: Strictures of the pancreatic duct may be caused by a variety of underlying pathologic conditions that imaging examinations often fail to define. Conventional procedures for acquisition of a specimen for cytology during ERCP have been limited in their ability to discriminate pancreatic-ductal strictures. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to discriminate pancreatic-ductal strictures by a new technique of sampling material for cytodiagnosis: scraping cytology with a guidewire. DESIGN: A retrospective study. SETTING: A single cancer center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty-six patients with pancreatic-ductal strictures composed of 71 malignant and 15 benign diseases were evaluated. Malignant diseases included 70 pancreatic carcinomas and 1 endocrine tumor; benign diseases included the following: 7 chronic pancreatitis, 3 autoimmune pancreatitis, 3 idiopathic pancreatic-ductal strictures, and 2 pancreatic cysts. During ERCP, pancreatic juice was collected with a cannula in the main duct just below the stricture after scraping it with a 0.025-inch hydrophilic guidewire. Cytodiagnosis of the specimen was performed by the Papanicolaou method. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Diagnostic sensitivities and specificities of scraping cytology with a guidewire for pancreatic carcinoma. RESULTS: Scraping cytology with a guidewire yielded 93% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 100% positive predictive value, 75% negative predictive value, and 94% accuracy. Sensitivities for pancreatic carcinoma in the head, body, and tail of the pancreas were 91%, 100%, and 91%, respectively. Sensitivities for pancreatic carcinoma with a tumor of <20 mm, 21 to 40 mm, 41 to 60 mm, and >61 mm were 95%, 92%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. Pancreatitis subsequent to the procedure occurred in 4 patients (5%), all of whom were cured by conservative treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Benign or malignant pancreatic-ductal strictures were accurately discriminated by scraping cytology with a guidewire during ERCP. The technique yielded high diagnostic sensitivities in pancreatic carcinoma, regardless of the location or size of the tumor.