Schwannomas of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are rare subepithelial tumors comprising approximately 3.3% to 12.8% of all mesenchymal tumors of the GI tract. On endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) they are seen as hypoechoic tumors arising most commonly from the 4th proper muscle layer. Although EUS helps to distinguish tumor characteristics, tissue sampling is required for differentiation with other more common tumors such as GI stromal tumors. Both EUS-guided fine needle aspiration and EUS-guided trucut biopsy (EUS-TCB) can be used for tissue sampling. However, only EUS-TCB allows core biopsy and a high yield of immunohistochemical staining. We report a case of a gastric schwannoma diagnosed by EUS-TCB.
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Hypopharyngeal cancers are often diagnosed at an advanced stage and have a poor prognosis. Even when they are diagnosed at an operable stage, surgery often results in substantial morbidity and decreased patients' quality of life. Although the endoscopic diagnosis of early hypopharyngeal cancer is difficult, recent developments in advanced imaging endoscopy have enabled easier diagnosis of these lesions. Endoscopic resection of early hypopharyngeal cancer is a potential minimally invasive treatment that can preserve the function and quality of life of patients. Reports of this procedure are limited, however. We report a case of hypopharygeal cancer treated with endoscopic resection.
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Intra-abdominal tuberculous lymphadenitis can mimic a variety of other abdominal disorders such as pancreatic cancer, metastatic lymph nodes, or lymphoma, which can make a proper diagnosis difficult. A correct diagnosis of intra-abdominal tuberculous lymphadenitis can lead to appropriate management. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)-guided needle biopsy may be the procedure of choice for tissue acquisition when onsite cytopathology examination is unavailable because it is essential to obtain sufficient material suitable for the examination using an ancillary method, such as flow cytometry, molecular diagnosis, cytogenetics, or microbiological culture. We report a case of intra-abdominal tuberculous lymphadenitis diagnosed using an EUS-guided, 22-gauge histology new needle biopsy without an onsite cytopathology examination.
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Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) was developed for the
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Natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) involves the intentional perforation of the viscera with an endoscope to access the abdominal cavity and perform an intraabdominal operation. In a brief time period, NOTES has been shown to be feasible in laboratory animal and human studies. Easy access to the peritoneal cavity and complete gastric closure should be secured before NOTES can be recommended as an acceptable alternative in clinical practice. The concept of submucosal endoscopy has been introduced as a solution to overcome these two primary barriers to human NOTES application. Its offset entry/exit access method effectively prevents contamination and allows the rapid closure of the entry site with a simple mucosal apposition. In addition, it could be used as an endoscopic working space for various submucosal conditions. Herein, the detailed procedures, laboratory results and human application of the submucosal endoscopy will be reviewed.
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The desire to better recognized such malignancies, which may be difficult to distinguish from inflammation or trauma, has accelerated the development of endoscopy with new optical technologies. Narrow-band imaging is a novel endoscopic technique that may enhance the accuracy of diagnosis using narrow-bandwidth filters in a red-green-blue sequential illumination system. Autofluorescence imaging is based on the detection of natural tissue fluorescence emitted by endogenous molecules. I-scan technology using a digital filter that modifies normal images through software functions, is the newly developed image-enhanced endoscopic technology from PENTAX. Flexible spectral imaging color enhancement enhances the visualization of mucosal structure and microcirculation by the selection of spectral transmittance with a dedicated wavelength. Confocal laser endomicroscopy images were collected with an argon beam with a scanning depth of 0 (epithelium) to 250 µm (lamina propria) and analyzed using the reflected light.
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