Diagnostic Value of Endocytoscopy for Colorectal Lesions

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Colonoscopy is considered the preferred method of screening for colorectal cancer, and resection of colorectal lesions can significantly reduce the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer. In order to improve the qualitative and quantitative diagnosis of colorectal lesions, many endoscopic techniques, such as image-enhanced endoscopy (IEE), including narrowband imaging (NBI), magnifying endoscopy, pigment endoscopy, confocal laser endoscopy, and endocytoscopy (EC) are applied clinically. The application of EC is intended to achieve the purpose of real-time histopathological endoscopic diagnosis without biopsy. Several studies have shown that EC is effective in identifying the nature of colorectal lesions and judging the depth of invasion in CRC. Based on the endoscopic diagnosis, the endoscopist can determine the treatment plan for the colorectal lesions. The latest EC is an integrated endoscope with a contact light microscopy system with a maximum magnification of 520 x. EC may demonstrate the atypical of gland structure and cells after staining (EC staining mode, along with the use of the EC-NBI mode. The endoscopic diagnosis of the EC staining mode is based on the EC classification (EC-C), used to predict the histopathological diagnosis of colorectal lesions. A prospective randomized trial showed that the diagnostic accuracy was 94.1% by EC-C. However, the diagnostic value of EC-C depends on the operator and may be influenced by the quality of the staining. Meanwhile, the high-quality staining process is time-consuming and tedious. Therefore, EC-NBI seems to be the first choice for EC diagnosis with the advantages of convenient operation and efficient diagnosis. EC-NBI can display the super-amplified surface microvessels of the lesion and provide pathological prediction according to the vessel classification (EC-V). EC-V achieved 99% di