超声内镜诊治上消化道黏膜下病变180例临床观察

目的:探讨超声内镜对上消化道黏膜下病变的诊断及治疗价值。方法:对180例上消化道黏膜病变患者进行超声内镜诊断,并根据内镜结果选择内镜下黏膜切除(EMR)或内镜下黏膜剥离术(ESD)进行治疗,术后定期内镜随访。并对所获得的最终病理检查进行诊断率的分析,分析超声内镜的诊断及治疗结果。结果:病理总诊断准确率为70.35%;超声内镜诊断准确率67.68%。超声内镜图像测量的长径大于2cm的病灶75例,诊断准确率(84.5%)高于小于2cm的病灶123例(61%)(P<0.05),且起源层次也存在显著差异(P<0.05)。结论:超声内镜对上消化道黏膜病变的诊断具有较高的准确率,并且在超声内镜指导下手术治疗具有良好的安全性和有效性。

超声微探头辅助内镜对食管癌早期筛查及癌前病变诊断价值分析

目的:研究超声微探头辅助内镜对食管癌早期筛查及癌前病变的诊断价值。方法:选取内镜室常规胃镜检查显示食管黏膜可疑病变的200例(239处病变)患者作为研究对象,包括食管黏膜糜烂、粗糙与颜色异常等情况;所有患者均接受NBI、Lugol氏液染色检查及超声微探头内镜扫描;对联合NBI、Lugol氏液染色检查及超声微探头内镜扫描结果、病理结果进行分析。结果:食管癌病变的普通内镜、NBI、Lugol氏液染色诊断敏感性、特异性分别是(86.6%、13.3%)、(95.9%、28.9%)、(100.0%、44.4%);超声微探头诊断早期食管癌病变和术后组织病理检查结果的符合率是82.1%。结论:超声微探头辅助内镜联合Lugol氏液染色检查,能使早期食管癌病变及癌前病变的相关检出率得到有效提高,利于临床判断早期癌与其相关浸润程度。

Endoscopic ultrasound elastography for evaluation of lymph nodes and pancreatic masses:A multicenter study

AIM:To evaluate the ability of endoscopic ultrasound(EUS) elastography to distinguish benign from malignant pancreatic masses and lymph nodes.METHODS:A multicenter study was conducted and included 222 patients who underwent EUS examination with assessment of a pancreatic mass(n=121) or lymph node(n=101).The classification as benign or malignant,based on the real time elastography pattern,was compared with the classif ication based on the B-mode EUS images and with the fi nal diagnosis obtained by EUS-guided fi ne needle aspiration(EUS-FNA) and/or by surgical pathology.An interobserver study was performed.RESULTS:The sensitivity and specificity of EUS elastography to differentiate benign from malignant pancreatic lesions are 92.3% and 80.0%,respectively,compared to 92.3% and 68.9%,respectively,for the conventional B-mode images.The sensitivity and specificity of EUS elastography to differentiate benign from malignant lymph nodes was 91.8% and 82.5%,respectively,compared to 78.6% and 50.0%,respectively,for the B-mode images.The kappa coefficient was 0.785 for the pancreatic masses and 0.657 for the lymph nodes.CONCLUSION:EUS elastography is superior compared to conventional B-mode imaging and appears to be able to distinguish benign from malignant pancreatic masses and lymph nodes with a high sensitivity,specificity and accuracy.It might be reserved as a second line examination to help characterise pancreatic masses after negative EUS-FNA and might increase the yield of EUS-FNA for lymph nodes.

Pancreatic pseudocyst

Pancreatic pseudocysts are complications of acute or chronic pancreatitis. Initial diagnosis is accomplished most often by cross-sectional imaging. Endoscopic ultrasound with fine needle aspiration has become the preferred test to help distinguish pseudocyst from other cystic lesions of the pancreas. Most pseudocysts resolve spontaneously with supportive care. The size of the pseudocyst and the length of time the cyst has been present are poor predictors for the potential of pseudocyst resolution or complications, but in general, larger cysts are more likely to be symptomatic or cause complications. The main two indications for some type of invasive drainage procedure are persistent patient symptoms or the presence of complications (infection, gastric outlet or biliary obstruction, bleeding). Three different strategies for pancreatic pseudocysts drainage are available: endoscopic (transpapillary or transmural) drainage, percutaneous catheter drainage, or open surgery. To date, no prospective controlled studies have compared directly these approaches. As a result, the management varies based on local expertise, but in general, endoscopic drainage is becoming the preferred approach because it is less invasive than surgery, avoids the need for external drain, and has a high long-term success rate. A tailored therapeutic approach taking into consideration patient preferences and involving multidisciplinary team of therapeutic endoscopist, interventional radiologist and pancreatic surgeon should be considered in all cases.

High-flow nasal oxygen availability for sedation decreases the use of general anesthesia during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic ultrasound

AIM To examine whether high-flow nasal oxygen(HFNO) availability influences the use of general anesthesia(GA) in patients undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasound(EUS) and associated outcomes.METHODS In this retrospective study, patients were stratified into 3 eras between October 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014 based on HFNO availability for deep sedation at the time of their endoscopy. During the first and last 3-mo eras(era 1 and 3), no HFNO was available, whereas it was an option during the second 3-mo era(era 2). The primary outcome was the percent utilization of GA vs deep sedation in each period. Secondary outcomes included oxygen saturation nadir during sedation between periods, as well as procedure duration, and anesthesia-only time between periods and for GA vs sedation cases respectively.RESULTS During the study period 238 ERCP or EUS cases were identified for analysis. Statistical testing was employed and a P < 0.050 was significant unless the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons was used. General anesthesia use was significantly lower in era 2 compared to era 1 with the same trend between era 2 and 3(P = 0.012 and 0.045 respectively). The oxygen saturation nadir during sedation was significantly higher in era 2 compared to era 3(P < 0.001) but not between eras 1 and 2(P = 0.028) or 1 and 3(P = 0.069). The procedure time within each era was significantly longer under GA compared to deep sedation(P ≤ 0.007) as was the anesthesia-only time(P ≤ 0.001).CONCLUSION High-flow nasal oxygen availability was associated with decreased GA utilization and improved oxygenation for ERCP and EUS during sedation.

Contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasonography

Contrast agents are increasingly being used to characterize the vasculature in an organ of interest,to better delineate benign from malignant pathology and to aid in staging and directing therapeutic procedures.We review the mechanisms of action of first,second and third generation contrast agents and their use in various endoscopic procedures in the gastrointestinal tract.Various applications of contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasonography include differentiating benign from malignant mediastinal lymphadenopathy,assessment of depth of invasion of esophageal,gastric and gall bladder cancers and visualization of the portal venous system and esophageal varices.In addition,contrast agents can be used to differentiate pancreatic lesions.The use of color Doppler further increases the ability to diagnose and differentiate various pancreatic malignancies.The sensitivity of power Doppler sonography to depict tumor neovascularization can be increased by contrast agents.Contrast-enhanced harmonic imaging is a useful aid in identifying the tumor vasculature and studying pancreatic microperfusion.In the future,these techniques could potentially be used to quantify tumor perfusion,to assess and monitor the efficacy of antiangiogenic agents,to assist targeted drug delivery and allow molecular imaging.

Endoscopic ultrasonography findings in autoimmune pancreatitis

Endoscopic ultrasonography is an established diagnostic tool for pancreatic masses and chronic pancreatitis.In recent years there has been a growing interest in the worldwide medical community in autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP),a form of chronic pancreatitis caused by an autoimmune process.This paper reviews the current available literature about the endoscopic ultrasonographic findings of AIP and the role of this imaging technique in the management of this protean disease.

Endoscopic ultrasonography does not differentiate neoplastic from non-neoplastic small gallbladder polyps

AIM： To assess the ability of endoscopic ultrasonography （EUS） to differentiate neoplastic from non- neoplastic polypoid lesions of the gallbladder （PLGs）.METHODS： The uses of EUS and transabdominal ultrasonography （US） were retrospectively analyzed in 94 surgical cases of gallbladder polyps less than 20 mm in diameter.RESULTS： The prevalence of neoplastic lesions with a diameter of 5-20 mm was 27.2% （10/58）; 22-15 mm, 25.4% （4/26）, and 16-20 mm, 50% （5/20）. The overall diagnostic accuracies of EUS and US for small PLGs were 80.9% and 63.9% （P 〈 0.05）, respectively. EUS correctly distinguished 12 （63.2%） of 19 neoplastic PLGs but was less accurate for polyps less than 1.0 cm （4/10, 40%） than for polyps greater than 1.0 cm （8/9, 88.9%） （P = 0.02）.CONCLUSION： Although EUS was more accurate than US, its accuracy for differentiating neoplastic from non-neoplastic PLGs less than 1.0 cm was low. Thus, EUS alone is not sufficient for determining a treatment strategy for PLGs of less than 1.0 cm.

Review of endoscopic techniques in the diagnosis and management of cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare malignancy of the biliary tract. Key factors in determining therapeutic options include knowledge of tumor extent, anatomy and obtaining tissue diagnosis. Endoscopically, there are three modalities available to make the diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma. These include endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, endoscopic ultrasound with fine needle aspiration and cholangioscopy. Management of cholangiocarcinoma endoscopically is typically confined to stent placement for palliative purposes or as a bridge to surgery. In this article, we will review the endoscopic techniques available for the diagnosis and management of cholangiocarcinoma.

Usefulness of endoscopic ultrasonography in preoperative TNM staging of gastric cancer

AIM： To evaluate the value of endoscopic ultrasono- graphy （EUS） in the preoperative TNM staging of gastric cancer. METHODS ： Forty-one patients with gastric cancer （12 early stage and 29 advanced stage） proved by esophagogastroduodenoscopy and biopsies preoperatively evaluated with EUS according to TNM （1997） classification of International Union Contrele Cancer （UICC）. Pentax EG-3630U/Hitachi EUB-525 echo endoscope with real-time ultrasound imaging linear scanning transducers （7.5 and 5.0 MHz） and Doppler information was used in the current study. EUS staging procedures for tumor depth of invasion （T stage） were performed according to the widely accepted five-layer structure of the gastric wall. All patients underwent surgery. Diagnostic accuracy of EUS for TNM staging of gastric cancer was determined by comparing preoperative EUS with subsequent postoperative histopathologic findings. RESULTS： The overall diagnostic accuracy of EUS in preoperative determination of cancer depth of invasion was 68.3% （41/28） and 83.3% （12/10）, 60% （20/12）, 100% （5/5）, 25% （4/1） for T1, T2, T3, and T4, respectively. The rates for overstaging and understaging were 24.4% （41110）, and 7.3% （4113）, respectively. EUS tended to overstage T criteria, and main reasons for overstaging were thickening of the gastric wall due to perifocal inflammatory change, and absence of serosal layer in certain areas of the stomach. The diagnostic accuracy of metastatic lymph node involvement or N staging of EUS was 100% （17/17） for NO and 41.7% （24/10） for N＋, respectively, and 66% （41127） overall.Misdiagnosing of the metastatic lymph nodes was related to the difficulty of distinguishing inflammatory lymph nodes from malignant lymph nodes, which imitate similar echo features. Predominant location and distribution of tumors in the stomach were in the antrum （20 patients）, and the lesser curvature （17 patients）, respectively. Three cases were found as surgically unresectable （T4 N＋）, and included as being correctly diagnosed by EUS. CONCLUSION： EUS is a useful diagnostic method for preoperative staging of gastric cancer for T and N criteria. However, EUS evaluation of malignant lymph nodes is still unsatisfactory.

How good is endoscopic ultrasound for TNM staging of gastric cancers? A meta-analysis and systematic review

AIM: To evaluate the accuracy of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for staging of gastric cancers. METHODS: Only EUS studies confirmed by surgery were selected. Only studies from which a 2 × 2 table could be constructed for true positive, false negative, false positive and true negative values were included. Articles were searched in Medline, Pubmed, Ovid journals, Cumulative index for nursing & allied health literature, International pharmaceutical abstracts, old Medline, Medline nonindexed citations, and Cochrane control trial registry. Two reviewers independently searched and extracted data. The differences were resolved by mutual agreement. 2 × 2 tables were constructed with the data extracted from each study. Meta-analysis for the accuracy of EUS was analyzed by calculating pooled estimates of sensitivity, specifi city, likelihood ratios, and diagnostic odds ratio. Pooling was conducted by both the Mantel-Haenszel method (fi xed effects model) and DerSimonian Laird method (random effects model). The heterogeneity of studies was tested using Cochran's Q test based upon inverse variance weights. RESULTS: Initial search identified 1620 reference articles and of these, 376 relevant articles were selected and reviewed. Twenty-two studies (n = 1896) which met the inclusion criteria were included in this analysis. Pooled sensitivity of T1 was 88.1% (95% CI: 84.5-91.1) and T2 was 82.3% (95% CI: 78.2-86.0). For T3, pooled sensitivity was 89.7% (95% CI: 87.1-92.0). T4 hada pooled sensitivity of 99.2% (95% CI: 97.1-99.9). For nodal staging, the pooled sensitivity for N1 was 58.2% (95% CI: 53.5-62.8) and N2 was 64.9% (95% CI: 60.8-68.8). Pooled sensitivity to diagnose distant metastasis was 73.2% (95% CI: 63.2-81.7). The P for chi-squared heterogeneity for all the pooled accuracy estimates was > 0.10. CONCLUSION: EUS results are more accurate with advanced disease than early disease. If EUS diagnoses advanced disease, such as T4 disease, the patient is 500 times more likely to have true anatomic stage of T4 disease.

Diagnostic approach to patients with acute idiopathic and recurrent pancreatitis,what should be done?

Acute recurrent pancreatitis (ARP) is a common clinical condition that may be difficult to diagnose. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is proposed to be a safe first line test of choice in the majority of patients. When interventions are needed to remove biliary stones, evaluate sphincter of Oddi or pancreas divisum, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is recommended. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) can be a suitable alternative from a diagnostic standpoint although may not be widely available. Finally, genetic testing is increasingly used to detect certain mutations that are associated with this diagnosis.

Preoperative diagnosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumor by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration

AIM： to evaluate the role of endoscopic ultrasonographyguided fine needle aspiration （EUS-FNA） in the preoperative diagnosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumor （GIST）.METHODS： From September 2002 to June 2006, Fiftythree consecutive EUS-FNAs of GI tract subepithelial hypoechoic tumors with continuity to proper muscle layer suspected as GIST by standard EUS were evaluated prospectively. The reference standards for the final diagnosis were surgery （n = 31）, or clinical follow-up （n = 22）. Additionally, immunophenotyping of specimens obtained by EUS-FNA and surgical resection specimens were compared.RESULTS： In 2 cases puncture was not performed because of anatomical problems. The collection rate of adequate specimens from the GI tract subepithelial hypoechoic tumor with continuity to proper muscle layer was 82% （42/51）. The diagnostic rate for the tumor less than 2 cm, 2 to 4 cm, and 4 cm or more were 71% （15/21）, 86% （18/21）, and 100% （9/9）,respectively. In 29 surgically resected cases, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA using immunohistochemical analysis of GIST were 100%（24/24）, 80% （4/5）, 96% （24/25）, 100% （4/4）, and 97% （28/29）, respectively. No major complications were encountered.CONCLUSION： EUS-FNA with immunohistochemical analysis is a safe and accurate method in the pretherapeutic diagnosis of GIST. It should be taken into consideration in decision making, especially in early diagnosis following minimal invasive surgery for GIST.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration in the differentiation of type 1 and type 2 autoimmune pancreatitis

AIM:To investigate the usefulness of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration(EUS-FNA) in the differentiation of autoimmune pancreatitis(AIP).METHODS:We retrospectively reviewed 47 of 56 AIP patients who underwent EUS-FNA and met the Asian diagnostic criteria.On 47 EUS-FNA specimens,we evaluated the presence of adequate material and characteristic features of lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing pancreatitis(LPSP) and idiopathic duct-centric pancreatitis(IDCP) mentioned in the International Consensus Diagnostic Criteria and examined if these findings make a contribution to the differential diagnosis of type 1 and type 2 AIP.A disposable 22-gauge needle was used for EUS-FNA.RESULTS:Adequate specimens including pancreatic tissue for differentiating AIP from cancer were obtained from 43 of 47 patients who underwent EUSFNA.EUS-FNA was performed from the pancreatic head in 21 cases,which is known to be technically difficult when performed by core biopsy;there was no significant difference in the results compared with pancreatic body-tail.Nine of 47 patients met level 1 findings of LPSP and 5 patients met level 2 findings of LPSP.No one met level 1 findings of IDCP,but 3 patients met level 2 findings of IDCP.Of 10 seronegative cases,2 cases were diagnosed with "definitive type 1 AIP",and 3 cases were diagnosed with "probable type 2 AIP" when considering both the level 2 histological findings and response to steroids.CONCLUSION:EUS-FNA is useful in the differentiation of type 1 and type 2 AIP,particularly in seronegative cases.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection in a patient with esophageal adenoid cystic carcinoma

We report the first use of endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD) for the treatment of a patient with adenoid cystic carcinoma of the esophagus(EACC). An 82-year-old woman visited our hospital for evaluation of an esophageal submucosal tumor. Endoscopic examination showed a submucosal tumor in the middle third of the esophagus. The lesion partially stained with Lugol's solution,and narrow band imaging with magnification showed intrapapillary capillary loops with mild dilatation and a divergence of caliber in the center of the lesion. Endoscopic ultrasound imaging revealed a solid 8 mm × 4.2 mm tumor,primarily involving the second and third layers of the esophagus. A preoperative biopsy was non-diagnostic. ESD was performed to resect the lesion,an 8 mm submucosal tumor. Immunohistologically,tumor cells differentiating into ductal epithelium and myoepithelium were observed,and the tissue type was adenoid cystic carcinoma. There was no evidence of esophageal wall,vertical stump or horizontal margin invasion with p T1 b-SM2 staining(1800 μm from the muscularis mucosa). Further studies are needed to assess the use of ESD for the treatment of patients with EACC.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided gallbladder drainage for acute cholecystitis: Long-term outcomes after removal of a self-expandable metal stent

AIM To assess the long-term outcomes of this procedure after removal of self-expandable metal stent(SEMS). The efficacy and safety of endoscopic ultrasoundguided gallbladder drainage(EUS-GBD) with SEMS were also assessed.METHODS Between January 2010 and April 2015, 12 patients with acute calculous cholecystitis, who were deemed unsuitable for cholecystectomy, underwent EUSGBD with a SEMS. EUS-GBD was performed under the guidance of EUS and fluoroscopy, by puncturing the gallbladder with a needle, inserting a guidewire, dilating the puncture hole, and placing a SEMS. TheSEMS was removed and/or replaced with a 7-Fr plastic pigtail stent after cholecystitis improved. The technical and clinical success rates, adverse event rate, and recurrence rate were all measured.RESULTS The rates of technical success, clinical success, and adverse events were 100%, 100%, and 0%, respectively. After cholecystitis improved, the SEMS was removed without replacement in eight patients, whereas it was replaced with a 7-Fr pigtail stent in four patients. Recurrence was seen in one patient(8.3%) who did not receive a replacement pigtail stent. The median follow-up period after EUS-GBD was 304 d(78-1492).CONCLUSION EUS-GBD with a SEMS is a possible alternative treatment for acute cholecystitis. Long-term outcomes after removal of the SEMS were excellent. Removal of the SEMS at 4-wk after SEMS placement and improvement of symptoms might avoid migration of the stent and recurrence of cholecystitis due to food impaction.

Diagnosis of pancreatic tumors by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration

AIM： To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration （EUS-FNA） for pancreatic solid tumors larger or smaller than 3 cm, and cystic lesions.METHODS： From January/1997 to December/2006, 611 patients with pancreatic tumors were subjected to EUSFNA. The final diagnosis was obtained either by surgery （356 cases） or after a mean clinical follow-up of 11.8 mo in the remaining patients.RESULTS： There were 405 solid tumors, 189 cystic lesions and 17 mixed. Pancreatic specimens for cytological assessment were successfully obtained by EUS-FNA in 595 （97.4%） cases. There were 352 （57.6%） malignancies and 259 （42.4%） benign tumors. Among the malignancies, pancreatic adenocarcinomas accounted for 67% of the lesions. Overall, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of EUS-FNA were, respectively, 78.4%, 99.2%, 99.3%, 77.2% and 87.2%. Specifically for solid tumors, the same parameters for neoplasms larger and smaller than 3 cm were, respectively, 78.8% ys 82.4%, 100% ys 98.4%, 100% vs 99%, 54.8% vs 74.1% and 83.1% vs 87.8%. For cystic lesions, the values were, respectively, 72.2%, 99.3%, 97.5%, 91% and 92.2%.CONCLUSION： EUS-FNA can be used to sample pancreatic tumors in most patients. Even though the negative predictive value is inadequate for large solid tumors, the results are rather good for small solid tumors, especially concerning the sensitivity, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy. Among all pancreatic lesions, EUS-FNA for cystic lesions can reveal the best negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy, both higher than 90%.

Endorectal ultrasonography versus phased-array magnetic resonance imaging for preoperative staging of rectal cancer

AIM: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of pelvic phased-array magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and endorectal ultrasonography (ERUS) in the preoperative staging of rectal carcinoma. METHODS: Thirty-four patients (15 males, 19 females) with ages ranging between 29 and 75 who have biopsy proven rectal tumor underwent both MRI and ERUS examinations before surgery. All patients were evaluated to determine the diagnostic accuracy of depth of transmural tumor invasion and lymph node metastases. Imaging results were correlated with histopathological findings regarded as the gold standard and both modalities were compared in terms of predicting preoperative local staging of rectal carcinoma. RESULTS: The pathological T stage of the tumors was: pT1 in 1 patient, pT2 in 9 patients, pT3 in 21 patients and pT4 in 3 patients. The pathological N stage of the tumors was: pN0 in 19 patients, pN1 in 9 patients and pN2 in 6 patients. The accuracy of T staging for MRI was 89.70% (27 out of 34). The sensitivity was 79.41% and the specificity was 93.14%. The accuracy of T staging for ERUS was 85.29% (24 out of 34). The sensitivity was 70.59% and the specificity was 90.20%. Detection of lymph node metastases usingphased-array MRI gave an accuracy of 74.50% (21 out of 34). The sensitivity and specificity was found to be 61.76% and 80.88%, respectively. By using ERUS in the detection of lymph node metastases, an accuracy of 76.47% (18 out of 34) was obtained. The sensitivity and specificity were found to be 52.94% and 84.31%, respectively. CONCLUSION: ERUS and phased-array MRI are complementary methods in the accurate preoperative staging of rectal cancer. In conclusion, we can state that phased-array MRI was observed to be slightly superior in determining the depth of transmural invasion (T stage) and has same value in detecting lymph node metastases (N stage) as compared to ERUS.

Staging accuracy of esophageal cancer by endoscopic ultrasound:A meta-analysis and systematic review

AIM: To evaluate the accuracy of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in the staging of esophageal cancer. METHODS: Only EUS studies confirmed by surgery were selected. Articles were searched in Medline and Pubmed. Two reviewers independently searched and extracted data. Meta-analysis of the accuracy of EUS was analyzed by calculating pooled estimates of sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, and diagnostic odds ratio. Pooling was conducted by both the Mantel-Haenszel method (fixed effects model) and DerSimonian Laird method (random effects model). The heterogeneity of studies was tested using Cochran’s Q test based upon inverse variance weights. RESULTS: Forty-nine studies (n = 2558) which met the inclusion criteria were included in this analysis. Pooled sensitivity and specificity of EUS to diagnose T1 was 81.6% (95% CI: 77.8-84.9) and 99.4% (95% CI: 99.0-99.7), respectively. To diagnose T4, EUS had a pooled sensitivity of 92.4% (95% CI: 89.2-95.0) and specificity of 97.4% (95% CI: 96.6-98.0). With Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA), sensitivity of EUS to diagnose N stage improved from 84.7% (95% CI: 82.9-86.4) to 96.7% (95% CI: 92.4-98.9). The P value for the χ2 test of heterogeneity for all pooled estimates was > 0.10. CONCLUSION: EUS has excellent sensitivity and specificity in accurately diagnosing the TN stage of esophageal cancer. EUS performs better with advanced (T4) than early (T1) disease. FNA substantially improves the sensitivity and specificity of EUS in evaluating N stage disease. EUS should be strongly considered for staging esophageal cancer.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided choledochoduodenostomy in patients with failed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography

Endoscopic ultrasonography （EUS）-guided biliary drainage was performed for treatment of patients who have obstructive jaundice in cases of failed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography （ERCP）. In the present study, we introduced the feasibility and outcome of EUS-guided choledochoduodenostomy in four patients who failed in ERCR We performed the procedure in 2 papilla of Vater, including one resectable case, and 2 cases of cancer of the head of pancreas. Using a curved linear array echoendoscope, a 19 G needle or a needle knife was punctured transduodenally into the bile duct under EUS visualization. Using a biliary catheter for dilation, or papillary balloon dilator, a 7-Fr plastic stent was inserted through the choledochoduodenostomy site into the extrahepatic bile duct. In 3 （75%） of 4 cases, an indwelling plastic stent was placed, and in one case in which the stent could not be advanced into the bile duct, a naso-biliary drainage tube was placed instead. In all cases, the obstructive jaundice rapidly improved after the procedure. Focal peritonitis and bleeding not requiring blood transfusion was seen in one case. In this case, pancreatoduodenectomy was performed and the surgical findings revealed severe adhesion around the choledochoduodenostomy site. Although further studies and development of devices are mandatory, EUS-guided choledochoduodenostomy appears to be an effective alternative to ERCP in selected cases.