Clinical Trials Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jan 14, 2015; 21(2): 623-628
Published online Jan 14, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i2.623
Use of disposable graduated biopsy forceps improves accuracy of polyp size measurements during endoscopy
Hei-Ying Jin, Qiang Leng
Hei-Ying Jin, Qiang Leng, National Center of Colorectal Surgery, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu Integrated Colorectal Oncology Center, Nanjing 210001, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Jin HY contributed to the study design, data collection and analysis and revision of the manuscript; Leng Q contributed to the data collection and analysis and drafting of the manuscript.
Supported by National Nature Science Foundation of China, No. 3097383 and No. 81273944; and grants from The Nanjing Medical Technology Development Project, No. NJYX201203.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Hei-Ying Jin, MD, PhD, National Center of Colorectal Surgery, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu Integrated Colorectal Oncology Center, 1 Jinling Road, Nanjing 210001, Jiangsu Province, China. jinheiying@hotmail.com
Telephone: +86-25-52276200 Fax: +86-25-52276200
Received: May 7, 2014
Peer-review started: May 26, 2014
First decision: June 18, 2014
Revised: June 29, 2014
Accepted: July 25, 2014
Article in press: July 25, 2014
Published online: January 14, 2015
Abstract

AIM: To determine the accuracy of endoscopic polyp size measurements using disposable graduated biopsy forceps (DGBF).

METHODS: Gradations accurate to 1 mm were assessed with the wire of disposable graduated biopsy forceps. When a polyp was noted, endoscopists determined the width of the polyp; then, the graduated biopsy forceps was inserted and the largest diameter of the tumor was measured. After excision, during surgery or endoscopy, the polyp was measured using the vernier caliper.

RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-three colorectal polyps from 119 patients were studied. The mean diameter, by post-polypectomy measurement, was 0.92 ± 0.69 cm; 83 were < 1 cm, 36 were between 1 and 2 cm, and 14 were > 2 cm. The mean diameter, by visual estimation, was 1.15 ± 0.88 cm; compared to the actual size measured using vernier calipers, the difference was statistically significant. The mean diameter measured using the DGBF was 0.93 ± 0.68 cm; compared to the actual size measured using vernier calipers, this difference was not statistically significant. The ratio between the mean size estimated by visual estimation and the actual size was significantly different from that between the mean size estimated using the DGBF and the actual size (1.26 ± 0.30 vs 1.02 ± 0.11).

CONCLUSION: The accuracy of polyp size estimation was low by visual assessment; however, it improved when the DGBF was used.

Keywords: Disposable graduated biopsy forceps, Polyp size measurement, Colonoscopy, Accuracy

Core tip: In this study, we designed a disposable graduated biopsy forceps and used the forceps as “scale plate” to measure the polyp size. We enrolled 133 polyps from 119 patients and found that the accuracy of the visual estimation for a polyp size was low but could be improved if the disposable graduated biopsy forceps were used as a scale. Though some slight deviation still existed for estimation of polyps over 2 cm, the difference was not significant and did not affect treatment.