Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided tissue acquisition has emerged as a valuable method to diagnose autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) and exclude malignancy. During Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS), tissue samples can be obtained for pathological evaluation with different devices. Previous studies suggest 19-gauge fine needle aspiration (FNA) needle provides a reliable specimen for diagnosis of AIP. However tissue architecture and cell morphology are essential for accurate pathological assessment. Therefore, pathologists generally prefer a histological specimen. Fine needle biopsy (FNB) has the advantage of obtaining a histological specimen, which may lead to better diagnostic performance. However, the superiority of histology over cytology in EUS-guided tissue sampling for diagnosis of AIP has not been proven yet. In this study, we aim to compare the diagnostic accuracy of two EUS-guided tissue acquisition devices; the 19G Echotip Ultra Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) device and the 20G Echotip ProCore Fine Needle Biopsy (FNB) device for the diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis.
The aim of this study is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of two EUS-guided tissue acquisition devices; the 19G Echotip Ultra Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) device and the 20G Echotip ProCore Fine Needle Biopsy (FNB) device for the diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis.