PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M J Wiersema

Publications and source records attributed to M J Wiersema.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Endosonography in the assessment of esophageal stenosis.

EUS is an invaluable tool to delineate the cause of esophageal strictures. In primary esophageal carcinoma, EUS is the most accurate means for locoregional tumor staging. The addition of EUS FNA improves lymph node staging accuracy over EUS alone. EUS FNA can also play a role in diagnosing the cause of strictures associated with lymphadenopathy or metastatic tumor. In all settings, aggressive dilation to allow passage of the echoendoscope is associated with a substantial risk of perforation and should be avoided. To overcome this problem, catheter-based and over-the-wire probes are being developed to permit EUS imaging of severe stenoses.

Biopsy, Needle↗
PubMed1997

Endosonography-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy: diagnostic accuracy and complication assessment.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Endosonography-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (EUS-FNA) permits cytological confirmation of EUS findings. A multicenter prospective evaluation of EUS-FNA for primary diagnosis, staging, and/or follow-up purposes was undertaken. METHODS: EUS-FNA was performed in 457 patients with 554 lesions. Clinical (n = 218) or histopathologic (n = 256) confirmation was available in 192 lymph nodes, 145 extraluminal masses, 115 gastrointestinal wall lesions, and 22 cystic lesions. RESULTS: EUS-FNA sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy was 92%, 93%, and 92% for lymph nodes, 88%, 95%, and 90% for extraluminal masses, and 61%, 79%, and 67% for gastrointestinal wall lesions, respectively. The sensitivity and accuracy for lymph nodes and extraluminal masses was superior to that for gastrointestinal wall lesions. When EUS-FNA was compared with EUS size criteria in lymph node evaluation, specificity (93% vs. 24%) and accuracy (92% vs. 69%) were superior, whereas sensitivity (92% vs. 86%) was similar. The accuracy of EUS-FNA in patients with previously failed biopsy procedures was 81% (73 of 90). Five nonfatal complications occurred for a rate of 0.5% (95% confidence interval, 0.1%-0.8%) in solid lesions vs. 14% (95% confidence interval, 6%-21%) in cystic lesions. CONCLUSIONS: EUS-FNA accurately and safely evaluates solid peri-intestinal lesions and improves lymph node staging accuracy.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1997

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy and interventional endoscopic ultrasonography. Emerging technologies.

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) has been shown to be useful in the detection and staging of gastrointestinal and pancreatic malignancies. However, EUS has some limitations including suboptimal specificity in lymph node staging. This is one factor that has curtailed its widespread use. The emergence of EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) and other interventional applications of EUS appear likely to increase the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of this modality. This article reviews recent literature describing the role of EUS in guiding FNA, detecting choledocholithiasis and assisting in interventions such as pseudocyst drainage.

Biopsy, Needle↗
PubMed1997

Endosonography-guided celiac plexus neurolysis.

Endosonography-guided celiac plexus neurolysis is a new technique that permits chemical splanchnicectomy in patients with abdominal pain due to malignancy. The procedure can be performed on an outpatient basis in individuals undergoing endosonographic examinations for staging and biopsy purposes.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗
PubMed1996

Endosonography-guided cholangiopancreatography.

BACKGROUND: Detailed imaging of the common bile duct and main pancreatic duct is possible with endosonography. Utilizing a custom manufactured flexible needle, we have developed a technique of performing endosonography-guided cholangiopancreatography (EGCP). METHODS: Of 205 patients undergoing ERCP, complete ductography was not possible in 11 patients. Employing a linear scanning echoendoscope in conjunction with a 4 cm, 22 to 23 gauge aspiration needle, transduodenal cholangiography (n = 10) or transgastric pancreatography (n = 1) was attempted. RESULTS: Successful ductography was possible in 8 of 11 patients (EGCP success 73% vs ERCP 0%, p < .001, Fisher's exact test). In 5 patients, abnormalities identified on EGCP subsequently led to repeat ERCP with precut sphincterotomy. In all of these cases 100% agreement was found between EGCP and ERCP findings. One postprocedure case of pancreatitis occurred in a patient who underwent EGCP at the same setting as the failed ERCP. No early or late complications occurred in the patient group with EGCP performed at a separate setting. CONCLUSION: EGCP allows an alternative method for obtaining cholangiopancreatography in those patients in whom ERCP is unsuccessful. Further studies are necessary to define the safety and success rate of this new procedure.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Endosonography-guided celiac plexus neurolysis.

BACKGROUND: We have evaluated the safety and efficacy of performing endosonography-guided celiac plexus neurolysis (EUS CPN) in patients with pain due to intra-abdominal malignancies. METHODS: Thirty patients with upper abdominal pain requiring narcotic analgesia and suspected or known intra-abdominal malignancy were selected for EUS CPN. This group included 25 patients with pancreas carcinoma and 5 patients with intra-abdominal metastases. Using the linear array ultrasound endoscope and a prototype needle catheter, transgastric injection of the celiac plexus with bupivacaine and 98% dehydrated absolute alcohol was accomplished. RESULTS: Pain scores were significantly lower compared with baseline at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after EUS CPN (median follow-up: 10 weeks). At these follow-up intervals, 82% to 91% of patients required the same or less pain medication and 79% to 88% of patients had persistent improvement in their pain score. Comparison of patients with TXNXM1 versus TXNXMO pancreatic carcinoma revealed higher initial pain scores (7.9 +/- 1.92 versus 5.8 +/- 2.0, p = .02) and a greater decline in pain scores (decrease of 6.1 +/- 3.1 versus 4.8 +/- 2.0, p = .004). Complications were minor and consisted of transient diarrhea in four patients. CONCLUSION: EUS CPN is a safe and effective means for improving pain control in patients with intra-abdominal malignancy. The technique may be performed as an outpatient at the same setting as the EUS staging examination.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗
PubMed1995

Prognosis of esophageal cancers preoperatively staged to be locally invasive (T4) by endoscopic ultrasound (EUS): a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Endosonography is a significant advance in the preoperative staging (TNM classification) of esophageal cancer. Its accuracy for evaluating depth of tumor invasion is over 80%. METHODS: A multicenter retrospective cohort study of patients with esophageal carcinomas defined to be invasive (T4) by endosonography was performed to compare the survival of surgically and nonsurgically treated patients. Median survival time, overall mortality, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were compared by treatment group. Univariate and Cox regression analysis were used to evaluate the effects of various prognostic factors and treatment on the risk of death. RESULTS: A total of 79 patients were studied. The surgical group (Group I, n = 42) was significantly younger and had more distal tumors (adenocarcinomas) than the nonsurgical group (Group II, n = 37). Endosonography was significantly more accurate than CT scanning in identifying tumor invasion (87.5% versus 43.8%, respectively, p = .0002). Overall mortality rate was not significantly different between treatment groups; 59.5% of the surgical group and 64.9% of the nonsurgical group were dead at follow-up (p = 0.65). Similarly, the median survival times of Group I and Group II patients were similar (5.2 and 7.0 months, respectively, p = 0.50). Survival curves for the two groups were almost overlapping (log rank test, p = 0.84). Even after adjusting for age, histologic diagnosis, tumor location, and regional lymph node status, surgical treatment did not significantly influence survival (p = 0.24). CONCLUSIONS: Endosonography accurately identifies patients with invasive T4 tumors who have a poor prognosis. This prognosis is independent of mode of therapy.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1995

Duplex Doppler endosonography in the diagnosis of splenic vein, portal vein, and portosystemic shunt thrombosis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic ultrasonography is a promising procedure for imaging mesenteric vascular structures. METHODS: Duplex and color Doppler endosonography were used to prospectively evaluate 20 asymptomatic paid volunteers. Subsequently, 11 patients with nondiagnostic transabdominal ultrasound and suspected thrombosis of the splenic and/or portal veins or a portosystemic shunt were evaluated with duplex endosonography. The final diagnosis was based on CT, angiography, and/or surgery or autopsy findings in 9 of 11 patients. RESULTS: In normal volunteers, mesenteric vessel flow velocities and diameters were similar to previously described values. In 10 of the 11 patients with failed transabdominal ultrasound, duplex endosonography was able to provide the correct diagnosis (accuracy of ultrasound 0% versus EUS 91%, p < .001). Mean portal vein diameter was greater in the patient group than in the normal volunteers (18.5 mm versus 10.7 mm, p < .001) and all of the normal volunteers had a portal vein diameter less than 13 mm. No complications were experienced. CONCLUSION: Duplex endosonography allows visualization of the intra-abdominal vasculature and can be considered when transabdominal ultrasound is nondiagnostic in patients with suspected thrombosis of their splenic vein, portal vein, or portosystemic shunt. EUS is able to identify indirect findings of portal hypertension including portal vein enlargement and venous collaterals.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Endosonography of the pancreas: normal variation versus changes of early chronic pancreatitis.

The normal pancreas may have a hypoechoic ventral segment that does not correlate with the presence of pancreas divisum. Elderly individuals and heavy alcohol users may have abnormalities of their pancreas detected by EUS that are entirely asymptomatic. In patients with early stages of chronic pancreatitis, EUS can reveal abnormalities when other imaging tests including ERCP are normal. Determining the accuracy of EUS in diagnosing chronic pancreatitis is made difficult by the absence of a readily available gold standard. Whether EUS-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy will assist in this determination requires further investigation.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed1994

Preoperative staging of non-small cell lung cancer: transesophageal US-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy of mediastinal lymph nodes.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of transesophageal real-time ultrasound (US)-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in staging non-small cell lung carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two patients (a 64-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman) with non-small cell lung carcinoma and mediastinal lymphadenopathy detected at computed tomography underwent preoperative evaluation with transesophageal real-time US-guided FNAB. Two aspirates were obtained from each patient. RESULTS: Diagnostic tissue from a contralateral posterior mediastinal lymph node was obtained from the first aspirate in each case. Neither patient experienced a complication as a result of this technique, and both were subsequently referred for palliative therapy in light of these findings. CONCLUSION: Real-time US-guided FNAB is useful in the preoperative staging of disease in selected patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Biopsy, Needle↗
PubMed1993

Prospective evaluation of endoscopic ultrasonography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in patients with chronic abdominal pain of suspected pancreatic origin.

Twenty asymptomatic paid volunteers (13 females, 7 males, mean age 34 years, range 21-52 years), underwent endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) to assess variation in the appearance of ductular and parenchymal features of the pancreas. Following this investigation, 69 patients with chronic abdominal pain of suspected pancreaticobiliary origin were evaluated with EUS followed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and in 16 patients secretin stimulated intraductal pure pancreatic juice (PPJ) collection. Thirty patients were found to have chronic pancreatitis based on clinical, ERCP and/or PPJ data, and EUS was abnormal in 24 of these individuals. All of the 19 patients with abnormal pancreatograms also had an abnormal EUS. Twenty-two of the 30 patients with chronic pancreatitis had early disease (no or minimal changes on ERCP). In this subgroup of patients, the sensitivity of EUS was 86% versus 50% for ERCP (p = 0.01). For all patients, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of EUS in diagnosing chronic pancreatitis was 80%, 86% and 84% respectively. Using logistic regression analysis eight EUS features were found to be indicative of chronic pancreatitis including echogenic foci within the gland, focal regions of reduced echogenicity within the gland, increased thickness/echogenicity of the main pancreatic duct (MPD) wall, accentuation of the gland's lobular pattern, cysts, an irregular contour or dilation of the MPD and side branch dilation (p < or = 0.05). Generation of a receiver operating characteristic curve to assess the sensitivity and specificity of EUS in diagnosing chronic pancreatitis based on the number of abnormal findings demonstrated that sensitivity and specificity were optimal when three or more abnormal parenchymal and/or ductular features were found. These results suggest that EUS can play an adjunctive role to ERCP and PPJ in the diagnosis of early chronic pancreatitis.

Abdominal Pain↗