Background: With the recent increased use of lanthanum carbonate, several cases of lanthanum phosphate deposition to gastric mucosa in dialysis patients have been reported. However, the endoscopic appearance of the early-stage lesion and the overtime alterations of endoscopic findings due to the progression of lanthanum phosphate deposition remain unclear. Case presentation: An 80-year-old man receiving dialysis and taking lanthanum carbonate as a phosphate binder over a 4-year period underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy four times beginning 1 year after initiation of treatment. The first endoscopic examination (after 1 year of exposure to lanthanum carbonate) revealed rough mucosa with a few areas of white granular mucosa. Over the 3 years of endoscopic follow-up, the white granular mucosa spread and multiple erosions appeared. Histopathological findings of biopsy specimens from an erosion showed extensive infiltration by histiocytes containing deposits. Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive Xray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) revealed that the presence of the deposits containing phosphorus and lanthanum in the gastric mucosa. On the basis of these results, the patient was diagnosed with gastropathy associated with lanthanum phosphate deposition. Conclusions: Over a 3-year period, endoscopic findings associated with lanthanum deposition gradually changed and expanded from the early stage.

Background: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration/biopsy (EUS-FNA/B) is a standard method for pathological diagnosis of pancreatic solid lesions. The EchoTip ProCore 20G® (PC20), a 20-gauge biopsy needle with a forward-bevel core trap, has been available in Japan since 2015.Methods: We compared the efficacy of the PC20 with that of the EchoTip ProCore 22G® (PC22) and Acquire 22G® (AC22) in EUS-FNA/B for diagnosing pancreatic cancer. This retrospective study included 191 patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent EUS-FNA/B using the PC20, PC22, or AC22 at our facility from April 2013 to October 2019. We investigated the patients’ clinical characteristics and the diagnostic accuracy and safety of each needle.Results: A sufficient stroke length of puncture was secured in all patients. The maximum length under EUS was shorter with the AC22 (22.1±2.2 mm) than PC20 (30.6±0.7 mm, p<0.01) and PC22 (30.3±0.8 mm, p<0.01). The histological accuracy was 96.4% with the PC20 but only 58.8% with the PC22 (adjusted p (p-adj)<0.0001) and 75.0% with the AC22 (p-adj=0.06). The diagnostic accuracy of the combination of histology and cytology was 96.4% with the PC20, while it was 72.1% with the PC22 (p-adj<0.0001) and 91.7% with the AC22 (p-adj>0.99). One patient (0.9%) in the PC20 group developed mild pancreatitis, but no adverse events occurred with the other needles. Conclusions: The PC20 showed better diagnostic capability than the PC22. The diagnostic efficacy was similar between the PC20 and AC22. The high histological accuracy of the PC20 could be advantageous for lesions in which histological assessment is critical.

Background: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration/biopsy (EUS-FNA/B) is a standard method for pathological diagnosis of pancreatic solid lesions. The EchoTip ProCore 20G® (PC20), a 20-gauge biopsy needle with a forward-bevel core trap, has been available in Japan since 2015.Methods: We compared the efficacy of the PC20 with that of the EchoTip ProCore 22G® (PC22) and Acquire 22G® (AC22) in EUS-FNA/B for diagnosing pancreatic cancer. This retrospective study included 191 patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent EUS-FNA/B using the PC20, PC22, or AC22 at our facility from April 2013 to October 2019. We investigated the patients’ clinical characteristics and the diagnostic accuracy and safety of each needle.Results: A sufficient stroke length of puncture was secured in all patients. The maximum length under EUS was shorter with the AC22 (22.1±2.2 mm) than PC20 (30.6±0.7 mm, p<0.01) and PC22 (30.3±0.8 mm, p<0.01). The histological accuracy was 96.4% with the PC20 but only 58.8% with the PC22 (adjusted p (p-adj)<0.0001) and 75.0% with the AC22 (p-adj=0.06). The diagnostic accuracy of the combination of histology and cytology was 96.4% with the PC20, while it was 72.1% with the PC22 (p-adj<0.0001) and 91.7% with the AC22 (p-adj>0.99). One patient (0.9%) in the PC20 group developed mild pancreatitis, but no adverse events occurred with the other needles. Conclusions: The PC20 showed better diagnostic capability than the PC22. The diagnostic efficacy was similar between the PC20 and AC22. The high histological accuracy of the PC20 could be advantageous for lesions in which histological assessment is critical.

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