Study: Laser Endomicroscopy Enables Characterization of Pancreatic Cysts

A pilot study has validated the use of needle-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (nCLE) to characterize different kinds of pancreatic cysts.

The procedure is especially promising for identifying benign cysts, which could help patients and doctors avoid unnecessary or repeated examinations as well as unnecessary surgery, according to lead investigator Dr. Bertrand Napoleon of the Hospital Jean Mermoz in Lyon, France.

The Cellvizio system is used in an examination. Courtesy of Mauna Kea Technologies.

The study followed 33 patients for one year and focused on the diagnosis of solitary pancreatic cystic lesions using the Cellvizio confocal laser endomicroscopy platform. Cellvizio is made by Mauna Kea Technologies SA, which sponsored the study.

For the first time, the authors defined new criteria to classify malignant cysts and pseudocysts, and confirmed the characteristics of benign serous cysts, which were published earlier this year. Independent endoscopists validated these criteria, with a substantial agreement between the two groups of observers, according to Mauna Kea.

The company now aims to enroll 200 patients in a follow-up study, said founder and CEO Sacha Loiseau.

The research was published in Surgical Endoscopy (doi: 10.1007/s00464-015-4510-5).