Endocytoscopic microvasculature evaluation is a reliable new diagnostic method for colorectal lesions (with video)

Background: We previously reported on the efficacy of endocytoscopic classification (EC-C). However, the correlation of the endocytoscopic vascular (EC-V) pattern with diagnoses was unclear. Objective: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of the EC-V pattern for colorectal lesions. Design: Retrospective. Setting: A university hospital. Patients: Patients who underwent endocytoscopy between January 2010 and March 2013. Intervention: We evaluated 198 consecutive lesions according to the EC-V pattern (EC-V1, obscure surface microvessels; EC-V2, clearly observed surface microvessels of a uniform caliber and arrangement; and EC-V3, dilated surface microvessels of a nonhomogeneous caliber or arrangement). Main Outcome Measurements: The diagnostic accuracy for predicting hyperplastic polyps and invasive cancer were compared between the EC-V pattern and other modalities (narrow-band imaging, pit pattern, and EC-C). Results: The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the EC-V1 pattern for diagnosing hyperplastic polyps were 95.5%, 99.4%, and 99.0%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the EC-V3 pattern for diagnosing invasive cancer were 74.6%, 97.2%, and 88.6%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of the EC-V pattern for predicting hyperplastic polyps was comparable to the other modalities. For predicting invasive cancer, the EC-V pattern was comparable to narrow-band imaging and pit pattern, although EC-C was slightly more accurate (P = .04). In the substudy, the diagnosis time by using the EC-V pattern was shorter than that with the EC-C pattern (P < .001). Limitations: A single-center, retrospective study. Conclusions: The EC-V pattern saved more time than the EC-C pattern and had a diagnostic ability comparable to that of other optical biopsy modalities.