Can Narrowband Imaging Improve the Laparoscopic Identification of Superficial Endometriosis? A Prospective Cohort Trial

Abstract

The use of NBI at laparoscopy for the investigation of pelvic pain is beneficial in finding additional areas of endometriosis if endometriosis is already suspected after white-light survey in a tertiary laparoscopic unit. Further research in nonspecialized units may show additional benefit and requires further research. NBI may also be useful as a diagnostic aid for trainees.

Improving tissue characterization, differentiation and diagnosis in gynecology with the narrow‑band imaging technique: A systematic review

“…Of the selected studies, 10 (32%) were case reports (9-18), 19 (61.2%) were prospective studies (11,12,(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32) and two studies (6.4%) were randomized controlled trials (33,34). The selected studies had publication dates ranging from 2007 to 2020.…”

“…A total of 11 studies described the use of NBI in hysteroscopy for the detection of endometrial pathologies (9,10,(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)36,37) and another 11 studies reported the use of NBI in laparoscopy for the detection of peritoneal endometriosis (11)(12)(13)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)33,34,37,38). Furthermore, three articles dealt with the use of NBI in digital colposcopy for the detection of lower genital tract pathologies (14,31,32) and three articles reported on the use of NBI in laparoscopy for the detection of peritoneal metastases associated with ovarian cancer and other gynecological malignancies (15)(16)(17).…”

Narrow band imaging for thoracic endometriosis

“…1 Representative images of the diaphragm in case 1. Some brownish spots were more clearly visualized as dark green with NBI (arrows) diagnosing pelvic endometriosis by detecting hypervascularity, which is a specific disease pathology [8,15]. However, to the best of our knowledge, to date, there have been no reports of NBI having been used for thoracic endometriosis.…”

“…Endometriosis is caused by ectopic endometrial tissue in areas other than the uterine cavity, which can lead to a variety of symptoms, such as dysmenorrhea and infertility, and a histological confirmation is the gold standard for a definitive diagnosis [ 6 , 7 ]. However, the accuracy of the visual identification using laparoscopy is vulnerable depending on the surgeon’s expertise and morphological change in the target lesion during the menstruation cycle [ 7 , 8 ]. Those factors may lead to a diagnostic delay and poor surgical outcome [ 9 , 10 ].…”

“…It is widely used in the gastrointestinal diseases and not costly to perform [ 16 ]. Recent studies have reported promising results of NBI for the diagnostic utility of diagnosing pelvic endometriosis by detecting hypervascularity, which is a specific disease pathology [ 8 , 15 ]. However, to the best of our knowledge, to date, there have been no reports of NBI having been used for thoracic endometriosis.…”