Published online Jun 14, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i22.6974
Peer-review started: September 21, 2014
First decision: October 19, 2014
Revised: December 3, 2014
Accepted: January 21, 2015
Article in press: January 21, 2015
Published online: June 14, 2015
Processing time: 270 Days and 18.6 Hours
AIM: To evaluate the diagnostic potential of Lugol’s chromoendoscopy-guided confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) in detecting superficial esophageal squamous cell neoplasia (ESCN).
METHODS: Between December 2008 and September 2010, a total of 52 patients were enrolled at the Chinese PLA General Hospital in Beijing, China. First, Lugol’s chromoendoscopy-guided CLE was performed in these patients and the CLE in vivo histological diagnosis was recorded. Then, chromoendoscopy-guided biopsy was performed in the same patients by another endoscopist who was blinded to the CLE findings. Based on the biopsy and CLE diagnosis, en bloc endoscopic resection was performed. The CLE in vivo diagnosis and the histological diagnosis of biopsy of ESCN were compared, using a histological examination of the endoscopic resection specimens as the standard reference.
RESULTS: A total of 152 chromoendoscopy-guided biopsies were obtained from 56 lesions. In the 56 lesions of 52 patients, a total of 679 CLE images were obtained vs 152 corresponding biopsies. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and positive predictive value of chromoendoscopy-guided CLE compared with biopsy were 95.7% vs 82% (P < 0.05), 90% vs 70% (P < 0.05), 81.8% vs 46.7% (P < 0.05), and 97.8% vs 92.7% (P > 0.05), respectively. There was a significant improvement in sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and accuracy when comparing chromoendoscopy-guided CLE with biopsy.
CONCLUSION: Lugol’s chromoendoscopy-guided CLE is a real-time, non-invasive endoscopic diagnostic technology; the accuracy of the detection of superficial ESCN is equivalent to or may be superior to biopsy histology.
Core tip: The aim of the present study was to determine the diagnostic potential of confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) combined with Lugol’s iodine chromoendoscopy in detecting superficial esophageal squamous cell neoplasia (ESCN). Lugol’s chromoendoscopy-guided CLE was performed in 52 enrolled patients. In the same patients, chromoendoscopy-guided biopsy was performed by another endoscopist. A comparison of the detection rates between the CLE finding and biopsy was performed. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and positive predictive value of chromoendoscopy-guided CLE were 95.7%, 90%, 81.8% and 97.8%, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the detection of dysplasia between chromoendoscopy-guided CLE and biopsy. Lugol’s chromoendoscopy-guided CLE is a real-time, non-invasive endoscopic diagnostic technology; the accuracy of the detection of superficial ESCN is equivalent to or may be superior to biopsy histology.