Concordancia entre la tomografía axial computarizada de abdomen, la ultrasonografía endoscópica y la punción por aspiración con aguja fina en el diagnóstico de lesiones sólidas sugestivas de neoplasias malignas de páncreas

Introduction and objective: Diagnostic tests for solid pancreatic lesions frequently produce discordant re-sults which lead to confusion and delays of therapeutic decisions. Concordance among abdominal computed tomography with contrast, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) pancreatobiliary and EUS guided fine needle aspira-tion had not previously been evaluated in Colombia. Materials and methods: We evaluated a series of adult patients with solid pancreatic masses suspected of malignancy treated at the San Ignacio University Hospital in Bogotá, Colombia. At least two of the following tests were performed: CT scans, EUS, and EUS guided fine needle aspiration. Results were defined as compatible with neoplasia, not compatible with neoplasia or inconclusive. Concordance of results was then evaluated. Results: Fifty-seven patients were included. A high percentage EUS results compatible with neoplasia were discordant with CT scan results and with EUS guided fine needle aspiration results (33.3% and 52.5%, respectively). Agreement between imaging and EUS guided fine needle aspiration results was minimal (Kappa 0.02; 95% CI:-0.04 to 0.08). The probability of detecting vascular compromises was significantly higher for EUS (42.1% vs. 23.8%, p: 0.06), but lymph node compromises were detected more frequently by imaging (CT or MRI) (23.8% vs. 7.1%, p: 0.01). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest poor agreement between these diagnostic methods implying a need for improvements such as elastography and contrast media, new needle modalities for sampling, and/or the an on-site cytopathologist.