Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of bowel lesions under ultrasound guidance: indications and results

A systematic review of primary gastric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: Clinical diagnosis, staging, treatment and prognostic factors

Primary gastric lymphoma (PGL) is a rare clinical entity accounting for the majority of extra-nodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma (EN-NHL). The most common histological subtype is the primary gastric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (PG-DLBCL) with a media age of 50-60 years old, mostly in male. Pathogenesis is often related to some bacterial infection such as Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. However, due to various available staging system, there is still no consensus on the staging of PG-DLBCL. The international prognostic index (IPI) is the most valuable used for the stratification of almost all subtype of NHL and as well as for PG-DLBCL. As for treatment strategies, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and antibiotic therapy in various combinations have been applied in clinical treatment. There are a few well-known prognostic factors and some of them may constitute prognostic models. Due to the increasing incidence of this neoplasm, it is necessary for clinicians to make deep insight of the diagnosis, staging, treatment and prognostic factors of PG-DLBCL.

« Cyto-Assisted », Ultrasound-Guided Biopsy in the Diagnosis of Focal Disease of the Abdomen

From May 1988 to June 1990, 260 patients with abdominal focal disease underwent ultrasonically guided percutaneous fine needle biopsy. The technique of so-called « FNAB-CYT » is described. The procedure entailed very few complications: the mortality rate was 0% and the morbidity rate was 1.5%. The specificity of the technique was 100%, and sensitivity was 93.43%. False-negative diagnoses were made in 8 cases, and in 5 patients the cytologic diagnoses were uncertain. There were no false-positives. The possibility of an immediate control of the collected material by the pathologist avoids the risk of inadequate samples and reduces the number of biopsies for the patient. Comparison among diagnoses on rapid and definitive preparations and histologic ones was carried out to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the cytologic procedure. In our experience, a rapid staining of the smears allowed a correct cytologic diagnosis in 87.7% of the cases within approximately 5 min of the biopsy. On the basis of our experience, the authors recommend FNAB-CYT as a routine first-level (less invasive) procedure for diagnosis of abdominal focal disease.

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous biopsy for diagnosis of gastrointestinal lesions

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Endoscopical examination is not always sufficient for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal masses. This study assessed the diagnostic accuracy and safety of ultrasound-guided percutaneous biopsy of gastrointestinal lesions.

METHODS

This retrospective study evaluated 114 patients who underwent ultrasound-guided biopsy of gastrointestinal masses with a 18G needle. Thirty-two of these patients underwent a 22G fine-needle biopsy for cytology. Histology was compared with a composite standard of reference for diagnosis (i.e. post-surgery histological evaluation in 73 cases and computed tomography or magnetic resonance scan findings, together with a compatible clinical follow-up for at least 24 months, in the remaining 41 cases). Safety was assessed by recording side effects for up to 4h after the procedure.

RESULTS

Of the 114 lesions evaluated, 112 were malignant (98.2%) and 2 benign (1.8%). Specimens were adequate for histology in all but one case. Specimens were obtained from the stomach (n=38; 33.3%), small bowel (n=36; 31.6%) and colon (n=40; 35.1%). Diagnosis was correct in 113/114 cases (99.1%). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and diagnostic accuracy were 99.1%, 100%, 100%, 66%, and 99%, respectively. One of the 114 patients (0.9%) bled from a gastric GIST.

CONCLUSIONS

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous biopsy of gastrointestinal lesions is a valid alternative when diagnosis of a gastrointestinal mass cannot be obtained with an endoscopical procedure.

Primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the stomach

The stomach is the extranodal site most commonly involved by non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common histotype category arising in this organ. This is an aggressive lymphoma usually presenting as limited disease, being associated or not to Helicobacter pylori infection and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue-type areas. Histopathological characteristics are similar to those reported for other diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. It occurs more frequently in males with a median age ranging between 50 and 60 years. With an adequate therapeutic strategy, its prognosis is good, with a 5-year overall survival near to 90%. Conservative treatment with anthracycline-containing chemotherapy, followed or not by involved-field radiotherapy has replaced gastrectomy as standard approach against this malignancy. Several questions on the best treatment remain unanswered. Among others, the role of rituximab, consolidation radiotherapy as well as of more conservative approaches like H. pylori-eradicating antibiotic therapy should be better defined.

Gastrointestinal tract cytology: advancing horizons

Tide and ebb of interest in gastrointestinal tract cytology has followed technical advances in this field over the last 60 years. Cytologic samples can be obtained using gastric lavage, abrasive balloons, mucosal brushing, and fine needle aspiration (under percutaneous image guidance, endoscope and endoscopic ultrasound guidance). These advances now allow simultaneous performance of brushing the abnormal mucosa, obtaining fine needle aspirates and excising mucosal biopsy samples for evaluation. Use of endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspirates now help to obtain diagnosis of submucosal lesions, preoperative staging of gastrointestinal tract malignancies and help determine further management of patients. Such advances have brought pathologists to the forefront of the patient management team for the treatment of gastrointestinal tract lesions. This manuscript reviews the advantages and limitations of each cytology associated technique as well as reviews the salient diagnostic features, differential diagnosis and diagnostic pitfalls of gastrointestinal tract lesions. Finally, it suggests the modalities best suited to obtain diagnosis for various gastrointestinal tract lesions.

Role of ultrasonography in the staging of gastrointestinal neoplasms

This article reviews the capabilities and limits of ultrasonography (US) in the staging of gastrointestinal neoplasms. US is a well-established tool in the investigation of abdominal diseases. Its role is very important in the first approach to liver, gallbladder, biliary, and pancreatic diseases, but its abilities for accurate staging may be limited by various factors, which will be discussed. In the evaluation of the stomach and intestine, US is rarely utilized, but it can occasionally demonstrate an unsuspected gastrointestinal mass that usually must be evaluated further with specific techniques (endoscopy and barium studies) to confirm the diagnosis and to perform an accurate staging (with endosonography and computed tomography).

Sonographically guided percutaneous biopsy of gastrointestinal tract lesions

OBJECTIVE

Our objective was to evaluate the role and safety of sonographically guided percutaneous biopsy in the diagnosis of digestive tract lesions when the lesions are not suitable to biopsy by endoscopy and safely reachable by sonography.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed 42 biopsies in 41 patients (age range, 14-81 years; mean age, 57.5 years). We performed biopsies with real-time sonographic guidance using graded compression, with a 3.5-5-MHz microconvex transducer. In 39 biopsies, core specimens were obtained with an 18-gauge automatic needle gun; fine-needle aspiration biopsy was obtained in 28 patients with a 22-gauge needle and in the other four patients with a 21-gauge needle. In the remaining three patients, a coaxial technique with 20- and 22-gauge needles for cytology was used.

RESULTS

In 40 (95.2%) of 42 core biopsies performed, a specific diagnosis was obtained. A positive diagnosis was obtained in 16 (45.7%) of 35 fine-needle aspirations. The lesions were located from the pharynx to the sigmoid colon. Twenty-eight patients had malignant lesions, and 13 had benign lesions. Only one serious complication, bile peritonitis, was observed.

CONCLUSION

Percutaneous biopsy with sonographic guidance can be used safely and efficiently to diagnose digestive tract lesions that can be visualized on sonography and are not accessible endoscopically.

Percutaneous fine-needle aspiration of gastrointestinal wall lesions with image guidance

The fear of complications related to transgression of the bowel wall has limited the application of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) in gastrointestinal wall masses. We have undertaken a study examining our use of image-guided FNA in this setting, and evaluated diagnostic outcome and procedural risk. Twenty patients underwent percutaneous computed topography (CT) or ultrasound (U/S)-guided FNA biopsy of gastrointestinal wall masses over a 3-yr period. Hollow-bore needles were used to aspirate 8 gastric wall masses, 5 perirectal/distal sigmoid masses, 4 colonic masses, and 3 small-bowel masses. Lesions ranged in size from 1.5-13.0 cm (mean, 3.9 cm). One to five passes were made into each lesion (mean, 2.4). Immediate assessment for adequacy by a cytopathologist was performed in all cases. Neoplastic processes were identified in 15 cases (8 primary adenocarcinomas, 2 gastrointestinal stromal tumors, 3 metastases to the bowel wall, 1 Kaposi's sarcoma, and 1 primary lymphoma). Eleven of these 15 patients had histologic confirmation (all neoplastic lesions, excepting patients with metastases or Kaposi's sarcoma). Negative diagnoses (no evidence of malignancy) were obtained in the remaining 5 patients (2 benign colonic epithelium, 1 benign lymphoid population, 1 benign stroma, and 1 acute inflammatory process). A benign clinical course was followed in 4 patients, with 1 patient lost to follow-up. No acute or chronic postprocedural complications were identified. The earlier literature as well as this current study suggest that complications of FNA in this setting are rare. Diagnostic material may be obtained in a less invasive manner than open surgical biopsy.

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of colonic masses

Between 1989 and 1996, fine-needle aspiration biopsy was performed in 22 patients with palpable colonic masses. In all of these patients colonoscopic examination was either not possible or could not be carried out successfully. The results of aspiration biopsy were confirmed by surgery and histopathological examination of the tissue. Aspiration biopsy correctly diagnosed all except one case. It identified all cases of colonic cancer. One patient with colonic tuberculosis was also diagnosed correctly. However, in another patient with colonic tuberculosis, aspiration biopsy showed only nonspecific changes in the form of inflammatory and epithelial cells. There were no false-positive results or complications from the procedure. It is concluded that fine-needle aspiration biopsy is a simple, rapid, and accurate method of diagnosing palpable colonic masses in patients in whom a colonoscopy is not possible or cannot be performed satisfactorily.

Interventional ultrasound in Europe

"Interventional ultrasound," defined as any diagnostic and therapeutic procedure performed under ultrasound guidance was first introduced in Europe, where its early development took place in Vienna, in Copenhagen, in Italy and in Switzerland. However, many of the applications of interventional ultrasound have been based on important pioneer work using other less-suitable needle guiding methods from the pre-ultrasound era. The European contributions to "interventional ultrasound" have especially been in the development of new puncture equipment, in the dissemination of various biopsy techniques, and draining procedures and, more recently, in the development of many different tissue-ablation techniques. The above contributions, which are outlined in this historical review, have, together with significant contributions from the rest of the world-not least from the United States and Japan-created a most efficient diagnostic as well as therapeutic tool for the benefit of our patients.

Characterization of gastrointestinal tumors

Transabdominal ultrasonography is used increasingly for the evaluation of gastrointestinal disorders in small animals, including neoplasms such as lymphosarcoma, carcinoma, and smooth muscle tumors (leiomyoma, leiomyosarcoma). An updated summary of the clinical studies currently investigating the use of ultrasonography to detect and to characterize gastrointestinal neoplasia is presented in this article.

Evaluation of a breast biopsy phantom for learning freehand ultrasound-guided biopsy of the liver

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

We evaluated whether a breast biopsy phantom device would aid in the development of skills in freehand ultrasound liver biopsy.

METHODS

Three radiologists who were inexperienced in freehand biopsy of the liver were observed. Each radiologist was timed and scored during attempts to biopsy lesions created in a beef liver. The time required for biopsy and the success of each pass was recorded. A commercially available breast biopsy phantom was then used by each of these radiologists during two 20-min practice sessions. Posttraining testing on the beef liver was performed in the same manner as pretraining testing.

RESULTS

Freehand biopsy practice using the breast biopsy phantom resulted in a reduction in the mean time required for biopsy from 32 to 17 sec. Each of the three subjects reduced the mean time required for successful biopsy after training using the breast biopsy phantom. The total number of lesions missed was reduced from 14 of 43 to 0 of 45.

CONCLUSION

Practice using the ultrasound breast biopsy phantom improves performance in freehand ultrasound biopsy of the liver.

Endoscopic needle biopsy: a comparative study of forceps biopsy, two different types of needles, and salvage cytology in gastrointestinal cancer

One of the goals of gastrointestinal endoscopy is to diagnose whether a lesion is malignant. The desire to improve the sensitivity of biopsy-sampling techniques prompted us to compare prospectively the reliability and accuracy of obtaining tissue by forceps biopsy, needle biopsy (21 gauge 13-mm long metal needles versus 18 gauge 20-mm long plastic needles), and salvage cytology in patients with endoscopically suspected malignancy. Samples were obtained in the order of needle biopsy (the order of metal and plastic needle biopsy was randomized), forceps biopsy, followed by salvage cytology. Needle biopsies were obtained by puncturing the lesion under direct vision while aspirating with a syringe. Twenty-three patients with gastrointestinal malignancy were studied (7 esophageal, 4 gastric, and 12 colonic). Forceps biopsies were positive in 18 of 23 (78%), missing 1 gastric and 4 colon malignancies. Metal needle biopsy was positive in 16 of 19 (84%), plastic needle biopsy in 17 of 22 (77%), and salvage cytology in 20 of 22 (91%). Accuracy was increased by a combination of techniques. Endoscopic needle biopsy is a simple and rapid method to evaluate lesions seen at endoscopy and is especially useful in evaluation of submucosal lesions.