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Abstract Objectives Endoscopic submucosal dissection is a technically demanding procedure. The pilot study aimed to prospectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of a novel single‐operator through‐the‐scope dynamic traction device among trainees with limited endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) experience. Methods Randomized, controlled, pilot study comparing traction‐assisted ESD (T‐ESD) versus conventional ESD (C‐ESD) in an ex‐vivo porcine stomach model. Trainees were randomized to group 1 (T‐ESD followed by C‐ESD) and group 2 (C‐ESD followed by T‐ESD). Lesions were created on the gravity‐dependent area of the stomachs. The primary outcome was submucosal dissection speed. Secondary outcomes included differences in en‐bloc resection, adverse events, and workload, assessed by the National Aeronautical and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA‐TLX). Results Five trainees performed two T‐ESD and two C‐ESD each, for a total of 20 procedures. Submucosal dissection speed was significantly faster in the T‐ESD group compared to the C‐ESD group (43.32 ± 22.61 vs. 24.19 ± 15.86 mm2/min; p = 0.042). En‐bloc resection was achieved in 60% with T‐ESD and 70% with C‐ESD (p = 1.00). The muscle injury rate was higher in the C‐ESD group (50% vs. 10%; p = 0.21) with 1 perforation reported with C‐ESD and none with T‐ESD. NASA‐TLX physical demand was lower with T‐ESD compared to C‐ESD (4.5 ± 2.17 vs. 6.9 ± 2.50; p = 0.03). Conclusion T‐ESD resulted in faster submucosal dissection and less physical demand when compared to C‐ESD, as performed by trainees in an ex‐vivo gravity‐dependent model. Future studies are needed to assess its role in human ESD cases.

Background and study aims In patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), endoscopically visible lesions with distinct borders can be considered for endoscopic resection. The role of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for these lesions is not well defined because of a paucity of data. We aimed to evaluate the outcomes of colorectal ESD of dysplastic lesions in patients with IBD across centers in the United States. Patients and methods This was a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients with IBD who were referred for ESD of dysplastic colorectal lesions at nine centers. The primary endpoints were the rates of en bloc resection and complete (R0) resection. The secondary endpoints were the rates of adverse events and lesion recurrence. Results A total of 45 dysplastic lesions (median size 30mm, interquartile range [IQR] 23 to 42 mm) in 41 patients were included. Submucosal fibrosis was observed in 73 %. En bloc resection was achieved in 43 of 45 lesions (96 %) and R0 resection in 34 of 45 lesions (76 %). Intraprocedural perforation occurred in one patient (2.4 %) and was treated successfully with clip placement. Delayed bleeding occurred in four patients (9.8 %). No severe intraprocedural bleeding or delayed perforation occurred. During a median follow-up of 18 months (IQR 13 to 37 months), local recurrence occurred in one case (2.6 %). Metachronous lesions were identified in 11 patients (31 %). Conclusions ESD, when performed by experts, is safe and effective for large, dysplastic colorectal lesions in patients with IBD. Despite the high prevalence of submucosal fibrosis, en bloc resection was achieved in nearly all patients with IBD undergoing ESD. Careful endoscopic surveillance is necessary to monitor for local recurrence and metachronous lesions after ESD.

Colonoscopies allow surgeons to detect common diseases, that is, colorectal cancer, ulcers, and other ailments. However, there is a risk of bleeding in the lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract while maneuvering endoscopes. This may be due to perforations, hemorrhaging, polyps, diverticula, or post‐biopsy complications. Thus, it is essential for the surgeon to be able to detect bleeding at the site and evaluate the severity of blood leakage. Herein, a soft sensor that can detect the presence of blood at the bleeding site during colonoscopies is presented. The sensor consists of optical waveguides that interface with a microfluidic channel. Blood flow causes absorption and scattering of incident light that can be picked up by the optical sensing apparatus via light transmission through the waveguide. The surgeon can be alerted when bleeding occurs through a graphical user interface. The device is compact and measures only 1 mm thick. This allows the sensor to be circumferentially mounted onto a colonoscope at different locations. The sensor is able to record the presence of blood as an optical loss, rapidly detect the presence of blood under 100 ms as it enters the microchannel, and differentiate between gastric fluid and blood through changes in measured optical loss.

Background/Aims: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) has recently come to the forefront in the management of achalasia. We aimed to analyze the efficacy and safety of the use of electrocautery enhanced scissors (EES) for POEM. Methods: This retrospective cohort study prospectively collected the data of all adult patients (aged ≥18 years) with normal foregut anatomy who underwent POEM using EES. The patients’ baseline characteristics and procedure details (time, tunnel length, myotomy length, depth, and location) were recorded. The primary outcome was clinical success (3-month post-procedure Eckardt score of ≤3). The secondary outcomes were technical success and adverse events. A paired Student’s t-test was performed. Results: Fifteen patients were included in this study. The technical success rate of myotomy using EES was 100%. Fellows participated in the myotomy in all cases. The clinical success rate was 93.3% (14/15). The mean pre-Eckardt score was 5.4±2.5, while the mean post-Eckardt score was 1.3±1.3, which indicated a significant improvement (p≤0.0001). The most common treatment-related adverse events were post-procedure pain (4, 26.7%) and symptomatic reflux disease (4, 26.7%). Conclusions: In the largest series to date on the use of EES in POEM, we demonstrated that this technique has both technical and clinical efficacy as well as an excellent safety profile.

Background/Aims Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) requires a unique skill set. Currently, there is no objective methodology to assess and train a professional to perform ERCP. This study aimed to develop and validate a novel ERCP simulator. Methods The simulator consists of papillae presenting different anatomy and positioned in varied locations. Deep cannulation of the pancreatic duct, followed by the bile duct, was performed. The time allotted was 5 minutes. The content validity indexes (CVIs) for realism, relevance, and representativeness were calculated. Correlation between ERCP experience and simulator score was determined. Results Twenty-three participants completed the simulation. The CVIs for realism were orientation of duodenoscope to papilla (1.00), angulation of papillotome to achieve cannulation (0.71), and haptic feedback during cannulation (0.80). The CVIs for relevance were use of elevator (1.00), wheels to achieve en face orientation (1.00), and papillotome for selective cannulation (1.00). Regarding CVI for representativeness, the results were as follows: basic cannulation (0.83), papilla locations (0.83), and papilla anatomies (0.80). The novice, intermediate, and experienced groups scored 6.7±8.7, 30.0±16.3, and 74.4±43.9, respectively (p

Background and study aims Gastroenterology societies have recently proposed core curricula for training in per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) based on expert opinion with limited data on its applicability for advanced endoscopy fellowship (AEF) trainees. We prospectively evaluated the feasibility of a structured POEM training curriculum during a dedicated AEF and the trainee’s performance during independent practice. Methods This was a single-center prospective study evaluating a trainee’s performance of POEM using a structured assessment tool (POEMAT) to assess core cognitive and technical skills. The trainee’s performance was then prospectively assessed during the first 12 months of independent practice. Results The trainee, who had not prior background in submucosal endoscopy, first observed 22 POEM cases followed by 35 hands-on procedures during his advanced endoscopy fellowship. Based on the POEMAT, submucosal entry and mucosal incision closure were the most challenging technical aspects, while cognitive skills were uniformly attained early in training. Overall, the trainee was able to cross the threshold for competence in his POEMAT performance score in 15 of his last 18 cases (83.3 %). The trainee performed 16 POEMs (baseline mean Eckardt 7.2) in his first 12 months of independent practice. Mean procedural time was 79.8 minutes (interquartile range: 67–94 minutes minutes) with no adverse events. Clinical success (Eckardt score

Background and aims Rectal lesions traditionally represent the first lesions approached during endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) training in the West. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of rectal ESD in North America. Methods This is a multicenter retrospective analysis of rectal ESD between January 2010 and September 2018 in 15 centers. End points included: rates of en bloc resection, R0 resection, adverse events, comparison of pre- and post-ESD histology, and factors associated with failed resection. Results In total, 171 patients (median age 63 years; 56 % men) underwent rectal ESD (median size 43 mm). En bloc resection was achieved in 141 cases (82.5 %; 95 %CI 76.8–88.2), including 24 of 27 (88.9 %) with prior failed endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). R0 resection rate was 74.9 % (95 %CI 68.4–81.4). Post-ESD bleeding and perforation occurred in 4 (2.3 %) and 7 (4.1 %), respectively. Covert submucosal invasive cancer (SMIC) was identified in 8.6 % of post-ESD specimens. There was one case (1/120; 0.8 %) of recurrence at a median follow-up of 31 weeks; IQR: 19–76 weeks). Older age and higher body mass index (BMI) were predictors of failed R0 resection, whereas submucosal fibrosis was associated with a higher likelihood of both failed en bloc and R0 resection. Conclusion Rectal ESD in North America is safe and is associated with high en bloc and R0 resection rates. The presence of submucosal fibrosis was the main predictor of failed en bloc and R0 resection. ESD can be considered for select rectal lesions, and serves not only to establish a definitive tissue diagnosis but also to provide curative resection for lesions with covert advanced disease.

Background and study aims: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is an advanced endoscopic technique that allows en-bloc resection of gastrointestinal tumor. We systematically review the medical literature in order to evaluate the safety and efficacy of colorectal ESD. Patients and methods: We performed a comprehensive literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Ovid, CINAHL, and Cochrane for studies reporting on the clinical efficacy and safety profile of colorectal ESD. Results: Included in this study were 13833 tumors in 13603 patients (42 % female) who underwent colorectal ESD between 1998 and 2014. The R0 resection rate was 83 % (95 % CI, 80 – 86 %) with significant between-study heterogeneity (P

Previous studies have shown the high diagnostic accuracy of narrow-band imaging magnifying endoscopy (NBI-ME) and Lugol chromoendoscopy with pink-color sign assessment (LCE-PS) for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SESCC). However, there has been no controlled trial comparing these two diagnostic techniques. We conducted a randomized noninferiority trial to compare the diagnostic accuracy of NBI-ME and LCE-PS. We recruited patients with, or with a history of, squamous cell carcinoma in the head and neck region or in the esophagus. They were randomly assigned to either NBI-ME or LCE-PS. When lesions > 5 mm in diameter were found as brownish areas on NBI or as Lugol-voiding lesions (LVL), they were evaluated to determine whether they are SESCC on the basis of the findings of NBI-ME or PS in the LVL. NBI-ME and LCE-PS were completed in 147 patients each. There was no significant difference in all diagnostic values between the two techniques. Compared with LCE-PS, NBI-ME showed a significantly shorter examination time but a larger number of misdiagnosed lesions especially in patients with many irregularly shaped multiform LVLs. Compared with LCE-PS, NBI-ME might be similarly accurate and less invasive, but less reliable in patients with many LVLs, in the diagnosis of SESCC.

Purpose. Although esophageal capsule endoscopy (ECE) is reportedly useful in the diagnosis of esophageal varices (EV), few reports have described the benefits of this technique in Asian countries. The present paper evaluates the usefulness of ECE for diagnosing EV in Japanese patients with cirrhosis. Methods. We examined 29 patients with cirrhosis (20 males and 9 females; mean age 60 years; Child-Pugh classification A/B/C; 14/14/1) using ECE followed by esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). High-risk EV were defined as F2 and/or RC2 and above. Results. The sensitivity and specificity of ECE for the diagnosis of high-risk EV were 92% and 80%, respectively. Conclusions. The findings showed that ECE is a highly sensitive method of diagnosing high-risk EV that requires endoscopic or pharmacological therapy. Thus, ECE might be a useful method for the screening and followup of EV in patients with cirrhosis.

As the result of basic researches, several intravital fluorophores have been determined so far in human colorectal tissue. Autofluorescence endoscopy (AFE) can detect slight alterations in their distribution and concentration during the colorectal carcinogenesis process and, thus facilitate noninvasive screening colonoscopies without the need for fluorescent substances or staining reagents to be administered. While detecting faint autofluorescence intensity by conventional fiberoptic endoscopy remains challenging, the latest AFE system with high-resolution videoendoscope capabilities enables such detection by using a false-color display algorithm. To this end, the diagnostic benefits of AFE have been reported in several multicenter randomized controlled studies of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and differential diagnosis. CRC screening using the latest AFE technology could, therefore, lead to future reductions in CRC mortality.

Introduction. This study examined whether magnifying endoscopy with NBI observation (ME-NBI) could be useful selecting the appropriate treatment for submucosal invasive cancer (SM cancer). Patients and Methods. We analyzed 515 cases of colon tumors excised endoscopically or surgically. We classified capillary network pattern into four types according to the degree of dilatation, irregularity, and distribution of microcapillary features. Results. The comparison of capillary pattern and histological features revealed microcapillary networks by using confocal laser-scanning microscopy and ME-NBI in intramucosal lesion or SM cancer with remnant neoplastic glands at the superficial layer. In contrast, the network was absent in SM cancer with desmoplastic reactions, which invaded deeper into the submucosal layer. Conclusions. The remaining microcapillary network is designed to maintain the architecture of neoplastic glands. Consequently, loss of this network could correlate with depth of tumor invasion and desmoplastic reaction. Therefore, we can decide the appropriate treatment by using ME-NBI method.