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• High success rates of centralized organoid generation in HIT-CF organoid study. • Low complication rates in taking rectal biopsies via both suction and forceps procedures. • Successful use of STAR protocol. • Proven feasibility of international biobanks through successful organoid generation. Patient-derived intestinal organoids (PDIOs) show great potential as in vitro drug testing platform for personalised medicine in Cystic Fibrosis and oncology. PDIOs can be generated by culturing adult stem cells obtained through rectal forceps biopsy or suction biopsy, but the safety of these procedures and the success rates of generating organoids after shipment to a centralized lab using these procedures has not been studied in this context. We here report the safety and success rates of both biopsy procedures and the subsequent generation of PDIOs in the international multicentre HIT-CF Organoid Study. 502 biopsy procedures were conducted, on 489 adult people with Cystic Fibrosis from 33 different hospitals across 12 countries. Depending on the preference of the hospital, either rectal forceps biopsies or suction biopsies were obtained and internationally shipped to a central laboratory for organoid generation. No adverse events were reported for 280 forceps biopsy procedures, while 222 rectal suction biopsy procedures resulted in 2 adverse events, namely continued bleeding and a probably nonrelated gastroenteritis. The success rate of organoid generation from all biopsies was 95%, and the main reason for failure was insufficient sample viability (3.2%). Our results indicate that both rectal suction biopsy and forceps biopsy procedures are safe procedures. The high success rates of PDIO generation from the obtained tissue samples demonstrate the feasibility of the organoid technology for personalised in vitro testing in an international setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Conventional Forceps biopsy is associated with smaller specimen sizes and more crushed artifacts. Recently, cryobiopsy has been suggested to be associated with higher diagnostic yield due to its ability to obtain larger biopsies with less crush artifacts when compared to conventional biopsy techniques. This study aimed for assessment of the diagnostic yield of cryobiopsy compared to the forceps biopsy for endobronchial lesions. Methods: In this cross sectional study, 48 patients with endobronchial lesions underwent bronchoscopic forceps biopsy and cryobiopsy, at the Chest Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, and the specimens were sent for histopathological analysis. Results: Two methods showed statistically significant differences as regards the diagnostic yield as all the cryoprobe biopsies (100%) were diagnostic while only (81.3%) of forceps biopsies were diagnostic (P value = 0.002). Conclusions: Cryobiopsy yielded larger tissue specimens, resulting in a higher diagnostic yield and a lower prevalence of non-diagnostic results compared to forceps biopsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Robot-assisted navigation bronchoscopy (RANB) has been gaining traction as a new technology for minimally invasive biopsies of peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs). Cryobiopsy is an established method of procuring satisfactory lung tissues and can be safely paired with RANB. While some studies have evaluated the diagnostic accuracy and yield of this procedure, there is limited data on the utility of various biopsy tools, the sequence of use and differences in tissue characteristics based on the sampling techniques. Therefore, this study aims to examine the real-life performance of needle, forceps and cryoprobe when utilized in succession with RANB in the biopsy of PPLs, and to evaluate the specific types of tissue samples obtained from each instrument. Methods: In a single-center retrospective study, 50 patients presenting 52 PPLs underwent biopsies sequentially using fine-needle aspiration (FNA), forceps, and cryoprobe. All procedures were performed via cone-beam CT-assisted RANB. Performance metrics, such as diagnostic yield, sensitivity, and specificity, were determined by classifying malignancy as true positives and explicit benign findings as true negatives. Tissue sizes and subtypes were based on pathology description and compared with Student's t test and χ2, respectively. Results: Cryobiopsy, when performed sequentially after FNA then forceps, was able to retrieve more alveolar tissue (p = 0.0098) among diagnosed lesions and showed higher diagnostic yield (p = 0.001) in PPL biopsy with RANB platform. Cryobiopsy was also able to obtain larger sample size (p = 0.0087). No difference was observed in the diagnosis of malignancy between forceps and cryobiopsy (p = 0.8877). Conclusion: The integration of RANB and sequential biopsies, utilizing FNA, forceps, and cryoprobe, can efficiently diagnose PPLs and procure alveolar tissues. Further research based on histopathological subtypes is required to assess its prognostic significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transcutaneous transhepatic endobiliary forceps biopsy is an accepted method for verification of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, but its sensitivity ranges from zero to 94%. In the recent years, optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been actively used to diagnose malignancies. Aim: To assess diagnostic accuracy of the OCT-assisted intraductal forceps biopsy in patients with Klatskin tumor. Materials and methods: From 2013 to 2021, 161 patients with preliminary diagnosis of Klatskin tumor were seen in Russian Scientific Center of Radiology and Surgical Technologies named after Academician A.M. Granov. The retrospective study included 48 patients and 51 procedures of the forceps biopsy. In 14 (29%) patients of the main study group, the biopsy procedure was performed with OCT assistance, whereas the control group (34 patients, 71%) had their biopsies without the OCT. Results: All procedures were technically successful. In the main and in the control study groups, sensitivity was 92.3% versus 73.3% (p = 0.32) and specificity 100% versus 85.7% (p = 0.88), respectively. Malignant neoplasm of the biliary tract was found in 13 cases versus 23 in the control group, with the degree of the tumor differentiation being determined in 64.3% (n = 9), versus 48.7% (n = 18) (p = 0.89), respectively. There were no adverse events associated with OCT and biopsy sampling in the main study group. In the control group, 4/37 procedures (10.8%) were associated with hemobilia, which was successfully treated conservatively within 24 hours without any prolongation of the hospital stay. Conclusion: Our preliminary results indicate that antegrade endobiliary forceps biopsy is a safe and informative technique. The OCT navigation increases the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis. This allows for a personalized choice of chemotherapy. OCT is a promising technique for differential diagnosis of Klatskin tumor from benign biliary strictures. Further large-scale studies are required to introduce it into everyday practice.

Percutaneous endovascular biopsy (PEB) including forceps biopsy and catheter aspiration has been used to make a pretreatment diagnosis for pulmonary artery (PA) masses. This retrospective study aims to describe the procedure of PEB and compare the diagnostic yield of forceps biopsy and catheter aspiration for a definite diagnosis in patients with PA masses. All consecutive 22 patients (53 ± 14 years), 11 males and 11 females, who underwent PEB for pathologic confirmation between November 2018 and November 2022 were enrolled. All 22 patients performed computed tomography pulmonary angiography or positron emission tomography-computed tomography to confirm the filling defects suspicious for PA malignancy before intervention. And then, all patients underwent PEB successfully without acute or fatal complications, including both forceps biopsy and catheter aspiration in 15 cases, only forceps biopsy in 5 cases, and only catheter aspiration in 2 cases. Histopathological analysis provided a definite diagnosis in all PEBs with a clinical success of 91.0% (20/22). Among them, in 15 patients who underwent both forceps biopsy and aspiration biopsy, the technical success using forceps biopsy was 93.3% (14/15), and aspiration biopsy was 6.7% (1/15), and there was a significant difference in diagnostic accuracy when comparing two techniques. Twenty-one out of 22 PA masses (95.5%) were malignant, of which, the most frequent malignant lesion observed was PA sarcoma (66.7%, 14/21). Benign lesion included one thrombus (4.5%, 1/22). In conclusion, PEB is an effective and safe diagnostic method for differentiating benign and malignant PA masses and could be peformed when PA masses appeared clinically malignant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. To evaluate the safety and accuracy of percutaneous transhepatic biliary biopsy in patients with suspected Klatskin tumor.Materials and methods. Between 2013–2020, percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) was performed in 52 patients with Klatskin tumor, complicated by obstructive jaundice. After successful PTBD, the diagnosis was verified by antegrade access. 74 procedures were performed: brush (n = 36; 48.6 %) or forceps biopsies (n = 38; 51.4 %).Results. There were no adverse events associated with a brush biopsy. Only grade I complications were after the forceps technique: 3 patients (7.9 %) developed hemobilia, which was corrected conservatively. Malignant lesions of the biliary tract were detected by forceps technique in 79.0 %, brush biopsy in 66.7 % (p >0,05). The degree of tumor differentiation was determined in 60.0 % (n = 18) vs 12.5 % (n = 3) (p < 0,01), respectively.Sensitivity and specificity of forceps biopsy were slightly higher than in brush: 82.4 % and 75.0 % vs 73.3 % and 66.7 % (p >0,05).Conclusions. Antegrade percutaneous transhepatic biliary biopsy is safe for both brush and forceps techniques. However, forceps biopsy has higher sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis Klatskin tumor and better possibility of determining the degree of malignancy differentiation.

Introduction: Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is the standard approach for lung cancer staging. However, its diagnostic utility for other mediastinal diseases might be hampered by the limited tissue retrieved. Recent evidence suggests the novel sampling strategies of forceps biopsy and cryobiopsy as auxiliary techniques to EBUS-TBNA, considering their capacity for larger diagnostic samples., Methods: This study determined the added value of forceps biopsy and cryobiopsy for the diagnosis of mediastinal diseases. Consecutive patients with mediastinal lesions of 1 cm or more in the short axis were enrolled. Following completion of needle aspiration, three forceps biopsies and one cryobiopsy were performed in a randomised pattern. Primary endpoints included diagnostic yield defined as the percentage of patients for whom mediastinal biopsy led to a definite diagnosis, and procedure-related complications., Results: In total, 155 patients were recruited and randomly assigned. Supplementing EBUS-TBNA with either forceps biopsy or cryobiopsy increased diagnostic yield, with no significant difference between EBUS-TBNA plus forceps biopsy and EBUS-TBNA plus cryobiopsy (85.7 % versus 91.6 %, P = 0.106). Yet, samples obtained by additional cryobiopsies were more qualified for lung cancer molecular testing than those from forceps biopsies (100.0 % versus 89.5 %, P = 0.036). When compared directly, the overall diagnostic yield of cryobiopsy was superior to forceps biopsy (85.7 % versus 70.8 %, P = 0.001). Cryobiopsies produced greater samples in shorter procedural time than forceps biopsies. Two (1.3 %) cases of postprocedural pneumothorax were detected., Conclusions: Transbronchial mediastinal cryobiopsy might be a promising complementary tool to supplement traditional needle biopsy for increased diagnostic yield and tissue harvesting., Trial Registration: ChiCTR2000030373., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Felix JF Herth received honoraria for advisory board activities and lecture fees from Pulmonx, Erbe, Olympus, and Uptake. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 Sociedade Portuguesa de Pneumologia. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background Pleural effusions are either transudate or exudate according to the biochemical analysis of aspirated pleural fluid. Thoracentesis or blind pleural biopsy may not provide a definitive diagnosis. Cryobiopsy has more successful diagnostic results than forceps biopsies with complications (only hemorrhage) during procedures. Cryobiopsy can obtain more diagnostic biopsies due to the size of the biopsies and best property in expressions of an artifact-free sample area. Results This prospective intervention study was conducted on 51 patients who were divided randomly into two groups according to the biopsy technique: Group I (cryobiopsy group): 26 patients where patients will be subjected to thoracoscopic cryobiopsy. Group II (forceps group): 25 patients where patients will be subjected to thoracoscopic forceps biopsy. To demonstrate the efficacy and safety of taking biopsy specimens from parietal pleura in undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion. In the present study, the most common thoracoscopic finding was pleural nodules in 17 (65.4%) patients of cryobiopsy and 13 (53%) patients of forceps biopsy. The mean size in cryobiopsy was 14±4.2 mm, while in forceps biopsy, it was 5±0.6 mm. The most common pathological type of malignancy was the metastatic adenocarcinoma in 30 (58.8%) patients. The diagnostic yield of rigid medical thoracoscopy was 100% in both groups. Cryobiopsy was easily interpretable in the current study as focal and diffuse hemorrhage and crush artifact/atelectasis is less in biopsy. All procedures were generally well-tolerated by the patients in both groups, cryobiopsy was a painless procedure, while forceps biopsy was registered pain in 12 (48%) patients. Conclusions Cryobiopsies of the pleura using medical rigid thoracoscopy represent a safe and painless method to take biopsy and an effective tool to obtain larger tissue samples with a safe cellular architecture.

BackgroundPleural cryobiopsy is a novel technique for the diagnosis of pleural pathologies. However, the safety and feasibility of this modality compared to standard forceps for pleural biopsy has not been fully elucidated. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to establish the efficacy and safety of cryobiopsy for evaluation of undiagnosed pleural effusion.MethodsFor this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of science databases up to December 16, 2021 to identify relevant articles. We included randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, retrospectives studies and case series that compared pleural cryobiopsy and forceps biopsy. A qualitative assessment was performed using the QUADAS-2 tool.ResultsOf the 365 articles identified by our search, 15 studies were eligible for inclusion. The specimen sizes obtained with cryobiopsy were significantly larger compared with forceps biopsy (Standard mean difference 1.16; 95 % CI: 0.51–1.82; P < 0.01). Furthermore, the cryobiopsy tissue specimens were deeper (OR 2.68; 95 % CI: 1.39–5.16; P < 0.01) and qualitatively better with less crush artifacts (OR 0.06; 95 % CI: 0.01–0.26; P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in diagnostic yield (OR 1.32; 95 % CI: 0.79–2.21; P = 0.29) and mild to moderate bleeding events (OR 1.21; 95 % CI: 0.64–2.29; P = 0.57) between pleural cryobiopsy and forceps biopsy. No publication bias was observed among these studies.ConclusionsCompared to flexible forceps biopsy pleural cryobiopsy obtained larger and deeper tissue specimens with less crush artifacts but does not show superiority for diagnostic yield. Further studies are still needed to verify these findings.

BackgroundCryobiopsy has emerged as a novel alternative to conventional forceps biopsy for the diagnosis of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), lung tumors, and peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs). This study aims to compare cryobiopsy and forceps biopsy for the diagnosis of these lung pathologies with respect to efficacy and safety by performing a meta-analysis of updated evidence.MethodsA number of databases, such as PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, OVID, CNKI, and Wanfang database, were searched for eligible studies. Randomized and non-randomized comparative studies investigating the efficacy and safety of cryobiopsy vs. forceps biopsy for lung pathologies were included. Pooled results were calculated as an odds ratio (OR) or standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% CI.ResultsA total of 39 studies, such as 9 RCTs with 3,586 biopsies (1,759 cryobiopsies and 1,827 flexible forceps biopsies) were analyzed. Cryobiopsy was associated with a significant increase in the diagnostic rates of ILDs (OR, 4.29; 95% CI, 1.85–9.93; p < 0.01), lung tumors (OR, 3.58; 95% CI, 2.60–4.93; p < 0.01), and PPLs (OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.23–2.34; p < 0.01). Cryobiopsy yielded significantly larger specimens compared with flexible forceps biopsy (SMD, 3.06; 95% CI, 2.37–3.74; p < 0.01). The cryobiopsy group had a significantly higher (moderate to severe) bleeding risk than the forceps group (OR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.48–3.19; p < 0.01). No significant difference was observed in the incidence of pneumothorax between the groups (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.44–1.85; p = 0.78).ConclusionOur results demonstrate that cryobiopsy is a safe and efficacious alternative to conventional forceps biopsy.

Abstract Background There is currently no established standard tissue sampling method for hypopharyngeal cancer. The present study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) for the pretreatment evaluation of hypopharyngeal cancer and the safety of EGD-guided forceps biopsy. Methods We reviewed nine patients with hypopharyngeal cancer who underwent EGD for the evaluation of tumor extent and tissue biopsy from March 2014 to March 2017 at International St. Mary’s Hospital. One experienced endoscopist performed all the EGD procedures in the presence of a head and neck surgeon. The procedure included determining tumor location, extent (presence of pyriform sinus apex involvement), and size, and passing the endoscope through the upper esophageal sphincter. The success rate of tissue sampling was assessed, and procedure-related complications were recorded. Results All patients were male, with a mean age of 69.9 ± 10.9 years (range 61–69 years). Tissue sampling using biopsy forceps was performed in 6/9 patients (66.7%). No complications related to moderate sedation or biopsy, including post-biopsy bleeding or respiratory distress, were reported. Histologic confirmation was successful in 5/6 patients (83.3%). Upper gastrointestinal lesions were evaluated in 7/9 (77.8%) patients in whom the scope passed through the lesion. Conclusions EGD and EGD-guided forceps biopsy may be useful for the evaluation of hypopharyngeal cancer extent and tissue sampling, respectively.

Abstract Background Bronchoscopic cryobiopsy is a new method of bronchoscopic tissue sampling in interstitial lung disease. In case of transbronchial biopsies, the resultant tissue samples are of high quality, and the lung parenchyma seen in the samples is adequate for a histological diagnosis in most cases. Bleeding after transbronchial biopsy is the most important procedure- associated complication and may be life threatening. This study addresses the risk of bleeding of transbronchial cryobiopsy. Methods In this prospective, randomized, controlled multicentre study 359 patients with interstitial lung disease requiring diagnostic bronchoscopic tissue sampling were included. Both conventional transbronchial forceps biopsy and transbronchial cryobiopsy were undertaken in each patient. The sequence of the procedures was randomized. Bleeding severity was evaluated semi-quantitatively as “no bleeding”, “mild” (suction alone), “moderate” (additional intervention) or “severe” (prolonged monitoring necessary or fatal outcome), for each intervention. Results In 359 patients atotal of 1160 cryobiopsies and 1302 forceps biopsies were performed. Bleeding was observed after forceps biopsy in 173 patients (48.2%) and after cryobiopsy in 261 patients (72.7%). Bleeding was significantly greater in the cryobiopsy group (cryobiopsy/forceps biopsy: no bleeding 27.3%/51.8%; mild 56.5%/44.0%; moderate 15.0%/4.2%; severe 1.2%/0%; p

Objective: Various modalities are applied for pathological diagnosis of malignant biliary strictures (MBS), including brush cytology (BC), forceps biopsy (FB) and endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine needle aspiration (EUS‐FNA). We aimed to assess the value of these modalities in a repeated tissue acquisition process for biliary strictures with initially inconclusive pathological outcomes. Methods: Patients who were suspected of having MBS and underwent a BC in two large teaching hospitals were retrospectively included. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of the initial and repeated BC, FB and EUS‐FNA were analyzed. Their performances were compared to determine which modality was superior in repeated tissue acquisition. Results: In total, 476 patients were included. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy in diagnosing MBS for the initial BC were 30.3%, 100% and 55.0%, respectively. Altogether 39, 27 and 44 patients underwent a repeat BC, FB and EUS‐FNA, respectively. The sensitivity for repeated BC, FB and EUS‐FNA was 41.2%, 61.1% and 44.4%, respectively, whereas their specificity all reached 100%. When comparing diagnostic accuracy, none of the modalities was superior (74.4% vs 74.1% vs 54.5%, P = 0.173). In the repeated process, one patient who underwent BC and two underwent FB developed mild pancreatitis. Conclusions: Repeated tissue acquisition achieves a conclusive diagnosis of MBS in nearly half patients who have an initially inconclusive cytological diagnosis. None of the tissue acquisition methods is significantly superior in the repeated process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The sampling of vascular obstruction diseases remains a challenge in clinical practice. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, accuracy, and safety of intravascular forceps biopsy (IVFB) for the diagnosis of vascular obstructive diseases., Methods: From January 2015 to January 2022, of the total of 35 patients who underwent IVFB (21 male, 14 female; mean age 60±11 years; range, 39-81 years), 32 (91.4%) did so during interventional planned revascularization procedures and 3 (8.6%) did so due so due to inaccessible or failed percutaneous access. The outcomes of technical success, biopsy times, patient radiation dose (PRD), complications, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy rate (AR) were analyzed., Results: The technical success of IVFB was 100%. The median number of biopsies taken per biopsy session and PRD were 4.0 (range, 3-6) and 712.6 mGy (range, 383.4-1,450.8), respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and AR of IVFB were 87.5% (21/24), 100% (11/11), 100% (21/21), 78.6% (11/14), and 91.4% (32/35), respectively. There were no complications related to IVFB., Conclusions: IVFB is a technically feasible and safe technique with good diagnostic value. The procedure should be considered in patients who are not suitable for percutaneous access, show indistinct imaging characteristics, or are scheduled to undergo revascularization procedure., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://qims.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/qims-23-597/coif). Mengyao Song, X.Z., X.H., and D.J. report funding support from the Henan Province Science and Technology Research Project (grant No. 232102311132). The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2024 Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the expression of the MAGE A subtypes family in the central lung tumor patients from the forceps biopsy (FB) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens and to analyze its association with the histopathological examination., Methods: An observational study was conducted on 32 FB and 43 BAL specimens from patients with central lung tumors. All samples were assessed for glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) expression by reverse transcription (RT) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and samples showing a positive result were examined for MAGE A subtypes family expression by nested-RT PCR., Result: The MAGE A1 to MAGE A10 genes were highly expressed in the FB and BAL specimens from patients with central lung tumors. The MAGE A1 to MAGE A10 gene and MAGE A1 to MAGE A6 gene were expressed in 60/75 (80%) and 16/75 (21.3 %), respectively. MAGE A8, MAGE A9, and MAGE A10 were the most commonly expressed. In FB specimens diagnosed without malignant cells, MAGE A1 to MAGE A10 and MAGE A1 to MAGE A6 were positive in 16/18 (88.9 %) and 1/18 (5.6 %), respectively. In all BAL specimens were diagnosed with no malignant cells, but MAGE A1 to MAGE A10 and MAGE A1 to MAGE A6 showed positive results in 36/43 (83.7%) and 9/43 (20.9%) %), respectively. There was a significant association between MAGE A1 to MAGE A6 expression with histopathological diagnosis., Conclusion: The MAGE A subtype family genes are highly expressed in central lung tumor patients from FB and BAL specimens, even in specimens that were diagnosed with no malignant cells. All BAL specimens were diagnosed as no malignant cells, but expression of the MAGE A subfamily genes was found in more than 80% of the specimens. These observations suggest that combining histopathological and molecular examination could improve the diagnosis of lung malignancy.

Background: In patients with endoscopically visible lesions, flexible bronchoscopy with FB is the most frequently used technique to obtain specimens for pathologic analysis with sensitivity of approximately 74%. The flexible cryoprobe, so far used for cryotherapy and endoluminal tumor debulking, also seemed to be suitable for biopsies from visible lesions. Objective: The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the diagnostic yield and safety of cryobiopsy and forceps biopsy. Patients and methods: For each patient group with a confirmed endobronchial lesion, diagnostic yield and safety of forceps biopsy and cryobiopsy were recorded. Results: The diagnostic yield was significantly higher with cryobiopsy (95%), compared with forceps biopsy (80%) (p

The detection of molecular alterations is crucial for the individualized treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Missing targetable alterations may have a major impact on patient’s progression free and overall survival. Although laboratory testing for molecular alterations has continued to improve; little is known about how biopsy technique affects the detection rate of different mutations. In the retrospective study detection rate of epidermal growth factor (EGFR) mutations in tissue extracted by bronchoscopic cryobiopsy (CB was significantly higher compared to other standard biopsy techniques. This prospective, randomized, multicenter, single blinded study evaluates the accuracy of molecular genetic characterization of NSCLC for different cell sampling techniques. Key inclusion criteria are suspected lung cancer or the suspected relapse of known NSCLC that is bronchoscopically visible. Patients will be randomized, either to have a CB or a bronchoscopic forceps biopsy (FB). If indicated, a transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) of suspect lymph nodes will be performed. Blood liquid biopsy will be taken before tissue biopsy. The primary endpoint is the detection rate of molecular genetic alterations in NSCLC, using CB and FB. Secondary endpoints are differences in the combined detection of molecular genetic alterations between FB and CB, TBNA and liquid biopsy. This trial plans to recruit 540 patients, with 178 evaluable patients per study cohort. A histopathological and molecular genetic evaluation will be performed by the affiliated pathology departments of the national network for genomic medicine in lung cancer (nNGM), Germany. We will compare the diagnostic value of solid tumor tissue, lymph node cells and liquid biopsy for the molecular genetic characterization of NSCLC. This reflects a real world clinical setting, with potential direct impact on both treatment and survival.

Objective: Biliary forceps biopsies are essential for differentially diagnosing biliary strictures and evaluating the preoperative superficial intraductal spread of bile duct cancers; however, these biopsies are technically demanding and time consuming. Using controllable biopsy-forceps (C-BF), which enable the tip’s angle to be adjusted by up to 90°, may facilitate the procedure and improve the diagnostic yield for biliary biopsies. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of C-BF associated with the diagnosis of biliary strictures. Materials and method: Between 2009 and 2015, 110 patients with biliary strictures underwent biliary biopsies using C-BF. We retrospectively evaluated the diagnostic yield of C-BF for biliary strictures and determined the success rate associated with obtaining adequate samples during mapping biopsies to evaluate the superficial intraductal tumor spread. Results: The technical success rate for biliary biopsies using C-BF was 99% (109/110). The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the diagnoses of biliary strictures were 60% (46/77), 100% (33/33) and 72% (79/110), respectively. Regarding the mapping biopsy procedures, adequate samples were successfully obtained from 96% (22/23), 92% (11/12), 80% (12/15), 75% (9/12) and 31% (5/16) of the intrapancreatic common bile ducts, upper common bile ducts, confluences of the hepatic ducts, right intrahepatic bile ducts and left intrahepatic bile ducts, respectively. Conclusions: C-BF may facilitate biliary cannulation and mapping biopsies of the common bile duct and the right intrahepatic bile duct. However, given that the diagnostic sensitivity was 60%, further modifications are expected and necessary to maximize the utility of the controllable mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To prove the safety and efficacy of endoluminal forceps biopsy during initial drainage and demonstrate its benefits for patients and physicians. Methods: From 2006, 101 consecutive patients with malignant biliary stenosis were enrolled in the analysis. All patients underwent percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTD) procedure and endoluminal forceps biopsy to obtain histological verification of stenosis. Seventy-six patients underwent biopsy 1-119 days after the drainage procedure (7.5F biopsy forceps). Twenty-seven patients underwent percutaneous drainage and biopsy in a single, combined procedure (5.2F disposable biopsy forceps). Results: Interventions with the single-procedure PTD biopsy were not associated with a higher rate of complications. The cumulative success rates of endoluminal biopsy in both groups were 77.6% and 81.5%, respectively. The average times needed to obtain a conclusive biopsy specimen from the time of initial drainage were 42 days and 11 days, respectively (p < 0.001). Patients undergoing endoluminal biopsy with the 5.2F forceps benefited from 1.2 fewer percutaneous interventions on average (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Percutaneous forceps biopsy is a safe procedure even when performed during initial drainage. Its success rate is comparable to that of the postponed biopsy procedure while malignancy is proven significantly sooner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Percutaneous endovascular biopsy (PEB) including forceps biopsy and catheter aspiration has been used to make a pretreatment diagnosis for pulmonary artery (PA) masses. This retrospective study aims to describe the procedure of PEB and compare the diagnostic yield of forceps biopsy and catheter aspiration for a definite diagnosis in patients with PA masses. All consecutive 22 patients (53 ± 14 years), 11 males and 11 females, who underwent PEB for pathologic confirmation between November 2018 and November 2022 were enrolled. All 22 patients performed computed tomography pulmonary angiography or positron emission tomography-computed tomography to confirm the filling defects suspicious for PA malignancy before intervention. And then, all patients underwent PEB successfully without acute or fatal complications, including both forceps biopsy and catheter aspiration in 15 cases, only forceps biopsy in 5 cases, and only catheter aspiration in 2 cases. Histopathological analysis provided a definite diagnosis in all PEBs with a clinical success of 91.0% (20/22). Among them, in 15 patients who underwent both forceps biopsy and aspiration biopsy, the technical success using forceps biopsy was 93.3% (14/15), and aspiration biopsy was 6.7% (1/15), and there was a significant difference in diagnostic accuracy when comparing two techniques. Twenty-one out of 22 PA masses (95.5%) were malignant, of which, the most frequent malignant lesion observed was PA sarcoma (66.7%, 14/21). Benign lesion included one thrombus (4.5%, 1/22). In conclusion, PEB is an effective and safe diagnostic method for differentiating benign and malignant PA masses and could be peformed when PA masses appeared clinically malignant., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Pulmonary Circulation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute.)

Forceps biopsy (FB) is the most commonly used diagnostic tool for lung pathologies. FB is associated with a high diagnostic failure rate. Cryobiopsy (CB) is a novel technique providing a larger specimen size, few artefacts, more alveolar parts and superior diagnostic yield. CB, however, has drawbacks such as higher bleeding and pneumothorax rate. We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the specimen area, diagnostic rate and bleeding severity in CB versus FB in interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) and lung tumours. A systematic literature search of PUBMED, BIOSIS PREVIEW and OVID databases was conducted using specific search terms. Eligible studies including RCTs and non-RCTs comparing cryobiopsy/cryotransbronchial biopsy (CB/CTBB) and forceps biopsy/forceps transbronchial biopsy (FB/FTBB) for specimen area, diagnostic rate and bleeding rate in ILDs and lung tumours were analysed. Two reviewers independently extracted data and evaluated the quality of the studies. Eight studies involving 916 patients were analysed. Specimen area (mm2) was significantly larger in CB/CTBB than FB/FTBB (standard mean difference = 1.21, 95% confidence interval (0.94, 1.48), P < 0.00001). The diagnostic rate was significantly higher in CB/CTBB than FB/FTBB (Risk ratio 1.36, 95% confidence interval (1.16, 1.59), P = 0.0002). Three studies compared the bleeding severity with only one showing significantly more bleeding in CB. Cryobiopsy/cryotransbronchial shows superiority to FB/FTBB for specimen area and diagnostic rate. CB/CTBB has better efficacy over FB/FTBB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transbronchial cryobiopsy (TBCB) is a minimally invasive procedure to establish a diagnosis of interstitial lung disease though with the disadvantage that samples have to be extracted together with the bronchoscope. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility of a new cryoprobe with which biopsy samples can be obtained through the working channel of the flexible bronchoscope. Methods: The feasibility of obtaining transbronchial specimens with TBCB was tested and the technique was compared to transbronchial forceps biopsy (TBFB) in a prospectively randomized ex vivo animal study using a standard flexible bronchoscopy technique. The rate of successful biopsies and the duration of the sampling procedure were recorded for both methods. Size and quality of the biopsies were histologically evaluated and measured. Results: Biopsy samples could be obtained in 93.3% of TBCB and in 79.0% of TBFB procedures (p = 0.182). Sampling procedure time did not differ in any clinically relevant manner between the two methods. The mean specimen area of TBCB samples was significantly higher compared to that of TBFB samples (8.08 ± 5.80 vs. 2.61 ± 2.14 mm²; p < 0.0001). TBCB specimens showed less artifacts and a significantly higher percentage of alveolar tissue (53.57 vs. 25.42%; p = 0.0285) than TBFB specimens. Conclusions: It is feasible to retrieve TBCB samples of good quality and size with the new mini cryoprobe through the working channel of the bronchoscope, while the bronchoscope remains within the central airways throughout the whole procedure. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the safety and efficacy in an in vivo setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The diagnostic yields of endoscopic transpapillary brush cytology and forceps biopsies for malignant biliary strictures (MBS) remain unclear and predictive factors for diagnosis have not been established. We aimed to clarify the diagnostic yields of both methods and the predictive factors Methods We reviewed 241 patients with biliary strictures who underwent transpapillary brush cytology ( n = 202) or forceps biopsy ( n = 208) between 2004 and 2014 at a single academic center. Results The sensitivity of forceps biopsy for MBS was significantly higher than that of brush cytology [60.6% (97/160) vs 36.1% (57/158), P < 0.01). The sensitivity of forceps biopsy was significantly higher in diagnosing bile duct cancer than pancreatic cancer [78.8% (52/66) vs 42.4% (28/66), P < 0.01). Multivariate analysis revealed that serum total bilirubin (TB) level (T-Bil) ≥ 4 mg/dL [odds ratio (OR) 2.506, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.139-5.495, P = 0.022) was an independent predictor for positive diagnosis by brush cytology, while bile duct cancer (OR 4.926, 95% CI 2.183-11.111, P < 0.001), stricture length ≥ 30 mm (OR 2.941, 95% CI 1.119-7.752, P = 0.029) and TB ≥4 mg/dL (OR 2.252, 95% CI 1.052-4.831, P = 0.037) were significant indicators of a positive diagnosis by forceps biopsy. Conclusions Endoscopic transpapillary forceps biopsy shows higher sensitivity than that of brush cytology for MBS. Bile duct cancer, stricture length ≥ 30 mm and TB ≥4 mg/dL are good indicators of forceps biopsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]