Performance of a new histology needle for EUS-guided fine needle biopsy: A retrospective multicenter study

Objective: Procurement of tissue core biopsy may overcome some of the limitations of EUS-FNA. We aimed at assessing the safety, core procurement yield and diagnostic accuracy of two novel available histology needles.Methods: Data from consecutive patients with solid lesions who underwent EUS-FNB using the 25G-22G SharkCore (TM) needles were retrieved from 4 tertiary-care centers database.Results: 146 patients (mean age 64 +/- 12 years; M/F, 76/68) with 156 lesions (114 pancreatic) were identified. In 83 cases the 22G needle was used. 3.6 +/- 1.2 passes per lesion were performed, without any major complications. A core biopsy was procured in 89.1% of cases. Considering malignant vs. non-malignant disease, the sensitivity, specificity, negative likelihood ratio, positive likelihood ratio, and diagnostic accuracy were 90.2% (95% CI, 83.7-94.3), 100% (95% CI, 87.2-100), 0.099 (95% CI, 0.058-0.170), 60.4 (95% CI, 3.86-947.4), and 92.3% (95% CI, 88.1-96.5). Procurement yield was significantly higher for the 22G (95.2% vs. 82.2%, p = 0.011), despite the fact that more needle passes were performed with the 25G needle (3.8 +/- 1.3 vs. 3.4 +/- 1.0, p = 0.028).Conclusions: EUS-FNB using the 25G-22G SharkCore (TM) needles is able to reach a very good procurement yield and diagnostic accuracy. The 22G-size needle showed superior core procurement and diagnostic capabilities. Large prospective studies are warranted to further evaluate the use of these types of needles. (C) 2018 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.