Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Drainage of Intra-Abdominal Abscess Using 15-mm vs. 10-mm Lumen-Apposing Metal Stents: An International Case-Matched Study.

Background And Aims: Efficacy and safety of EUS-guided placement of lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS) has been reported yet advantage of using 15-mm LAMS over 10-mm LAMS yet to be explored.

Methods: International, retrospective, case-matched study of patients with intra-abdominal abscess who underwent EUS-guided drainage with 15-mm (case) and 10-mm (control) LAMS between 03/2019 and 09/2022.

Results: 51 patients underwent EUS-guided drainage using LAMS [15-mm 29 (57%), 10-mm 22 (43%)].

Covered Versus Uncovered Metal Stents for the Drainage of the Malignant Distal Biliary Obstruction With ERCP: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction And Aim: Unresectable malignant distal biliary obstruction is a condition that should be treated with drainage and clearance of the biliary duct. self-expanded metal stents (SEMS) are known to be better and more effective than plastic stents because the patency is longer. The actual evidence is insufficient to recommend if it is better the use of SEMSu over SEMSc or vice versa for the drainage of the malignant distal biliary obstruction during ERCP.

Long-term results after EUS gallbladder drainage in high-surgical-risk patients with acute cholecystitis: A 3-year follow-up registry.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided gallbladder drainage (EUS-GBD) has become the favorite drainage option for high surgical-risk patients with acute cholecystitis. However, data on long-term outcomes regarding efficacy and security over 1 year are scarce. We performed a retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database to analyze the 3-year long-term outcomes of EUS-GBD with lumen apposing metal stents (LAMS) in high-surgical-risk patients with acute cholecystitis.

Impact of biliary stents in the performance of the EUS-guided tissue acquisition: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction And Aim: Pancreatobiliary tumours are challenging to diagnose exclusively by imaging methods. Although the optimum moment for carrying out the EUS is not well defined, it has been suggested that the presence of biliary stents may interfere with the proper staging of tumours and the acquisition of samples. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the impact of biliary stents on EUS-guided tissue acquisition yield.

Prospective multicenter assessment of the impact of EUS-guided gastroenterostomy on patient quality of life in unresectable malignant gastric outlet obstruction.

Background And Aims: EUS-guided gastroenterostomy (EUS-GE) is increasingly used for malignant gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) in inoperable patients. However, the impact of EUS-GE on patient quality of life (QoL) has not been evaluated prospectively.

Methods: Consecutive patients with unresectable malignant GOO who underwent EUS-GE between August 2019 and May 2021 at 4 Spanish centers were prospectively assessed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QoL Questionnaire Core 30 at baseline and 1 month after the procedure.

EUS-Guided gallbladder drainage vs percutaneous transhepatic drainage in patients with acute cholecystitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Occasionally, cholecystectomy is not possible because the patient is not suitable for surgery, and non-operative management should be performed. In these patients, the non-operative management can be through the percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD) or the endoscopic gallbladder drainage. We decided to compare the efficacy and safety of PTGBD and EUS-GBD in the non-operative management of patients with acute cholecystitis.

EUS-guided gastroenterostomy versus duodenal self-expandable metal stent for malignant gastric outlet obstruction: results from a nationwide multicenter retrospective study (with video).

Background And Aims: Traditionally, palliative treatment of malignant gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) has been surgical, but surgical treatment carries significant morbidity and mortality rates. Endoscopic placement of a duodenal self-expandable metal stent (D-SEMS) has been proven to be successful for this indication in the short term. However, D-SEMSs are likely to malfunction over time.

Coronavirus Disease Transmission Prevented in an Endoscopy Unit with Universal Protective Measures and No Systematic Preprocedural Testing.

Background And Aims: Even after two years of pandemic, there are still uncertainties on how to proceed when we schedule endoscopic procedures. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some scientific societies recommended universal preprocedural testing for all patients. However, other societies recommended against and considered enough to maintain strict infection control strategies.

Multicenter study of lumen-apposing metal stents with or without pigtail in endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage for malignant obstruction-BAMPI TRIAL: an open-label, randomized controlled trial protocol.

Background: It is unclear whether the insertion of an axis-orienting double-pigtail plastic stent (DPS) through biliary lumen-apposing meal stent (LAMS) in EUS-guided choledochoduodenostomy (CDS) improves the stent patency. The aim of this study is to determine whether this technical variant offers a clinical benefit in EUS-guided biliary drainage (BD) for the management of distal malignant biliary obstruction.

Methods/design: This is a multicenter open-label, randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups.

Intracystic Glucose and Carcinoembryonic Antigen in Differentiating Histologically Confirmed Pancreatic Mucinous Neoplastic Cysts.

Introduction: Differentiating mucinous neoplastic pancreatic cysts (MNPC) from cysts without malignant potential can be challenging. Guidelines recommend using fluid carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) to differentiate MNPC; however, its sensitivity and specificity vary widely. Intracystic glucose concentration has shown promise in differentiating MNPC, but data are limited to frozen specimens and cohorts of patients without histologic diagnoses.

Transpancreatic precut papillotomy versus double-guidewire technique in difficult biliary cannulation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Approximately 11 % of biliary cannulations are considered difficult. The double guidewire (DGW-T) and transpancreatic sphincterotomy (TPS) are two useful techniques when difficult cannulation exists and the main pancreatic duct is unintentionally accessed. We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness and security of both DGW-T and TPS techniques in difficult biliary cannulation.

Per-oral pancreatoscopy-guided lithotripsy for the endoscopic management of pancreatolithiasis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Pancreatic stones result from chronic pancreatitis and can occur in the main pancreatic duct, pancreatic branches or parenchyma. Although extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is considered the first-line treatment, per-oral pancreatoscopy (POP) has emerged as a useful method for treating pancreatic stones. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the efficacy and safety of POP-guided lithotripsy, electrohydraulic lithotripsy (EHL) and laser lithotripsy (LL), in patients with pancreatolithiasis.

Head-to-head comparison between endoscopic ultrasound guided lumen apposing metal stent and plastic stents for the treatment of pancreatic fluid collections: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background/aims: Peripancreatic fluid collections (PFCs) result from acute or chronic pancreatic inflammation that suffers a rupture of its ducts. Currently, there exists three options for drainage or debridement of pancreatic pseudocysts and walled-off necrosis (WON). The traditional procedure is drainage by placing double pigtail plastic stents (DPPS); lumen-apposing metal stent (LAMS) has a biflanged design with a wide lumen that avoids occlusion with necrotic tissue, which is more common with DPPS and reduces the possibility of migration.

Intracystic Glucose Levels Appear Useful for Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cystic Lesions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in the pancreatic cystic fluid is the most important biomarker for differentiating mucinous from non-mucinous pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs). However, recent studies have shown that glucose levels in pancreatic cystic fluid can discriminate mucinous from non-mucinous cysts.

Aims: To perform a meta-analysis to determine the utility of intracystic fluid glucose of pancreatic mucinous cysts compared with intracystic CEA.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided transvascular needle biopsy of thoracic and abdominal lesions: a multicenter experience.

 Traditionally in the case of a vascular interposition, endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) has been contraindicated. A transvascular route (TV) is feasible and probably a safe alternative approach in selected patients, but data are scarce. The primary aim of this study was to analyze the diagnostic yield and safety of EUS-TV-FNA in thoracic and abdominal lesions.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided, through-the-needle forceps biopsy for diagnosis of pancreatic cystic lesions: a systematic review.

Pancreatic cystic lesions (PCL), are a heterogeneous group of cystic lesions. Some patients with PCLs have a significantly higher overall risk of pancreatic cancer and the only test that can differentiate benign and malignnat PCL is fine-needle aspiration plus cytological analysis, but its sensitivity is very low. Through-the-needle direct intracystic biopsy is a technique that allows acquisition of targeted tissue from PCLs and it may improve the diagnostic yield for them.

The safety and efficacy of a new 20-mm lumen apposing metal stent (lams) for the endoscopic treatment of pancreatic and peripancreatic fluid collections: a large international, multicenter study.

Background: Lumen apposing metal stent (LAMS) allows an easy access to peripancreatic fluid collections (PPFCs) and the possibility of performing direct endoscopic necrosectomy (DEN). The aim of our study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a new 20-mm LAMS in the management of PPFCs. This novel stent represents the largest diameter LAMS available on the market to date.