Diagnostic ability of a 22G Franseen needle in endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of subepithelial lesions

The differential diagnosis of gastrointestinal subepithelial lesions (SELs) such as gastrointestinal stromal tumors from other benign tumors is important. In the present study, adequate sample rates of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) with a 22G Franseen needle for SELs were evaluated. The present study included 57 consecutive lesions (61 sessions) of EUS-FNA using a 22G needle to evaluate SELs between July 2013 and October 2017. Adequate sample rates were compared retrospectively between a 22G conventional needle group (C group) and a 22G Franseen needle group (F group). The overall adequate sample rate was 80.3%. The adequate sample rates in the C and F groups were 75.0% (33/44) and 94.1% (16/17), respectively (P=0.15). For lesions ≥20 mm, the adequate sample rates were 82.8% (24/29) in the C group and 91.7% (11/12) in the F group, 8.9% higher in the F group. However, for lesions