Background: EUS appears to be an accurate method to diagnose CP. Nine standard criteria have been developed and used. Recent studies demonstrated the association between some of these criteria and age. Aim: To characterize the significance and accuracy of individual EUS criterion to diagnose CP independent of age and gender. Methods: Eighty patients presenting with abdominal pain suspicious for CP were prospectively enrolled in the study from 1/03 to 12/04. EUS was performed in every patient by 3 experienced endosonographers. Individual EUS criterion was evaluated and recorded. The referring gastroenterologist established the final diagnosis of CP using the results of ERCP, MRCP, surgical pathology, and/or long-term clinical follow-up. Univariate and multivariate (adjusting for age and gender) analyses were performed to evaluate the significance and accuracy of individual criterion to diagnose CP compared to the final diagnosis. Results: Thirty-nine patients with CP (56% female; mean age of 56 [range of 29-88]) were significantly older than the remaining 41 controls (70% female; mean age of 49 [range of 24-79]). By using univariate analysis, all EUS criteria except cysts and hyperechogenic ductal margins were significantly associated with the diagnosis of CP. By using multivariate analysis adjusted for age and gender, lobularity, visible side branches, calcification, hyperechogenic foci, and hyperechogenic strands remained significantly associated with the diagnosis of CP. Conclusion: Individual EUS criterion has different significance and accuracy to diagnose CP. Several criteria are significantly associated with age and gender. Only 5 of 9 standard criteria (lobularity, visible side branches, calcification, hyperechogenic foci, and hyperechogenic strands) are significant and accurate to diagnose CP independent to age and gender.
Since its development and introduction to clinical practice, endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) has progressed rapidly from being a purely imaging modality with limited use in the detection of small pancreatic cancers to one that can provide a tissue diagnosis by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) and deliver therapy. EUS has now firmly established a place as the investigation of choice in the diagnosis, locoregional staging and management of a wide range of gastrointestinal cancers. With the increasing use of FNA, the accuracy of EUS has substantially improved and may become a stand-alone investigation in some situations. However, it is recommended that a combination of information obtained from other imaging modalities and EUS is needed to maximize the accuracy, in particular to complete staging beyond locoregional stage. In addition to well-established indications, newer applications of EUS are emerging and are no longer limited to the gastrointestinal system. In lung cancer, EUS combined with endobronchial ultrasonography is emerging as an accurate, minimally invasive, nonsurgical alternative to staging of the mediastinum. Furthermore, the ability of EUS to acquire tissue safely and conveniently results in a potential role of the molecular diagnostics to enhance the performance of EUS-guided FNA. Besides a diagnostic role of EUS, there continues to be technological advances in the field of interventional EUS, with many potential applications under investigation. This review focuses on the current and future roles of EUS in the diagnosis and management of cancers.
Advances in endoscope design have allowed high-quality imaging using small-caliber endoscopes (< 6 mm), and these have been proposed as providing an accurate modality for evaluating esophageal varices in several small studies. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy and interobserver agreement of small-caliber esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) compared with conventional EGD for evaluating esophageal varices in a large prospective cohort.A total of 115 patients with end-stage liver disease and/or portal hypertension were prospectively enrolled into the study. EGD procedures were performed using conventional (8.6-mm) and small-caliber (4.9-mm) endoscopes, back to back and under standard sedation, by two different endoscopists. Esophageal varices were graded at the time of EGD (the "real-time" grade); and by retrospective review of photographs by three endoscopists, when a "consensus" grade (i. e. a grading agreed by two out of the three endoscopists) was used as the final result.Of the 115 patients, 33 patients (29 %) were classified as Child's class A, 47 patients (41 %) as Child's class B, and 35 patients (30 %) as Child's class C. The mean model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was 13.6. Thirty-six patients (31 %) had undergone previous ligation of esophageal varices. Compared with conventional EGD, the accuracy of small-caliber EGD for esophageal varices grading was 94 % (consensus grade) and 95 % (real-time grade). Excellent concordance was demonstrated between real-time grade and consensus grade, with a kappa of 0.95 for both types of EGD. There was excellent interobserver agreement between endoscopists, regardless of the type of EGD. The severity of hepatic dysfunction and the presence or absence of a history of previous esophageal varices ligation did not have any impact on the accuracy or interobserver agreement.Small-caliber EGD performed under sedation via oral intubation is a highly accurate and reliable modality for evaluating esophageal varices in patients with end-stage liver disease and/or portal hypertension, regardless of the degree of hepatic dysfunction or history of previous esophageal varices ligation.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the most common indication for orthotopic liver transplantation in the United States. Although studies have addressed the use of expanded criteria donor organs in HCV(+) patients, to date the use of liver grafts from donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors in HCV(+) patients has been addressed by only a limited number of studies. This retrospective analysis was undertaken to study the outcomes of DCD liver grafts used in HCV(+) recipients. Seventy-seven HCV(+) patients who received DCD liver grafts were compared to 77 matched HCV(+) patients who received donation after brain death (DBD) liver grafts and 77 unmatched non-HCV patients who received DCD liver grafts. There were no differences in 1-, 3-, and 5-year patient or graft survival among the groups. Multivariate analysis showed that the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.037, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.006-1.069, P = 0.018] and posttransplant cytomegalovirus infection (HR = 3.367, 95% CI = 1.493-7.593, P = 0.003) were significant factors for graft loss. A comparison of the HCV(+) groups for fibrosis progression based on protocol biopsy samples up to 5 years post-transplant did not show any difference; in multivariate analysis, HCV genotype 1 was the only factor that affected progression to stage 2 fibrosis (genotype 1 versus non-1 genotypes: HR = 2.739, 95% CI = 1.047-7.143, P = 0.040). In conclusion, this match-controlled, retrospective analysis demonstrates that DCD liver graft utilization does not cause untoward effects on disease progression or patient and graft survival in comparison with DBD liver grafts in HCV(+) patients.
