EUS-guided tissue acquisition using a novel torque technique is comparable with that of the fanning technique for solid pancreatic lesions: A multicenter randomized trial.

Background: The torque and fanning techniques allow for multiple areas within pancreatic lesions to be targeted using different maneuvers and can, hence, enhance diagnostic outcomes. We compared the diagnostic performance of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) for pancreatic masses using the torque and fanning techniques.

Methods: This multicenter randomized trial enrolled a total of 160 consecutive patients who underwent EUS-FNB for solid pancreatic tumors using either the torque or fanning technique. Three passes were permitted for each lesion, and the technique sequence was randomly assigned as either torque first or fanning first with the standard technique as a reference.

Results: The median quality score of the histological samples was significantly higher in the torque and fanning group than in the standard group (p < .001). Furthermore, the torque technique provided improved sensitivity of 93.38% and accuracy of 94.30%. The standard technique provided diagnostic sensitivity of 68.84% and accuracy of 72.96%, while the fanning technique showed sensitivity of 91.85% and accuracy of 93.04%.

Conclusions: The new torque technique enables the acquisition of better-quality samples and can potentially increase the diagnostic outcomes in the EUS-FNB of pancreatic solid masses, with the same recommendations as those for the fanning technique.