Comparative Performance of Endoscopic Ultrasound-Based Techniques in Patients With Pancreatic Cystic Lesions: A Network Meta-Analysis

Introduction: Evidence on the comparative diagnostic performance of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-based techniques for pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) is limited. This network meta-analysis comprehensively compared EUS-based techniques for PCL diagnosis.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed for all comparative studies assessing the accuracy of 2 or more modalities for PCL diagnosis. The primary outcome was the diagnostic efficacy for mucinous PCLs. Secondary outcomes were the diagnostic efficacy for malignant PCLs, diagnostic success rate, and adverse event rate. A network meta-analysis was conducted using the ANOVA model to assess the diagnostic accuracy of each index.

Results: Forty studies comprising 3,641 patients were identified. The network ranking of the superiority index for EUS-guided needle-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (EUS-nCLE) and EUS-guided through-the-needle biopsy (EUS-TTNB) were significantly higher than other techniques for differentiating mucinous PCLs; besides, EUS-TTNB was also the optimal technique in identifying malignant PCLs. The evidence was inadequate for EUS-nCLE diagnosing malignant PCLs and contrast-enhanced harmonic EUS diagnosing both mucinous and malignant PCLs. Glucose showed a high sensitivity but low specificity, and molecular analysis (KRAS, GNAS, and KRAS + GNAS mutations) showed a high specificity but low sensitivity for diagnosing mucinous PCLs. Satisfactory results were not obtained during the evaluation of the efficiency of pancreatic cyst fluid (PCF) biomarkers in detecting malignant PCLs.

Discussion: For centers with relevant expertise and facilities, EUS-TTNB and EUS-nCLE were better choices for the diagnosis of PCLs. Further studies are urgently required for further improving PCF biomarkers and validating the diagnostic performance of the index techniques.