Abstract

Background
/Aims: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a novel technique for an en bloc resection of mucosal tumors over 2 cm in diameter. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, resection time and complications of ESD using a needle knife (needle-ESD) with a comparison those encountered using endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) after a circumferential mucosal incision with a needle knife (needle-EMR). Methods: Thirty-three consecutive patients with early gastric cancer or gastric adenoma who underwent needle-ESD at the Asan Medical Center between December 2004 and March 2005 were retrospectively reviewed, and compared with the data from 33 consecutive patients who underwent needle-EMR between March 2001 and June 2001. Results: Both the en bloc resection and complete resection could be achieved by needle-ESD in all the patients, while the corresponding percentages were 76% (en bloc resection, 25/33) and 94% (complete resection, 31/33) in the needle-EMR group. The resection time was longer (22.7 vs. 11.6 min) in the needle-ESD group than in the needle-EMR group. However, there was no significant difference in the complication rate between the two groups. Conclusions: Compared with the needle-EMR, needle-ESD has significant benefits, particularly regarding the en bloc and complete resection rate despite the technical difficulty and longer resection time. (Korean J Gastrointest Endosc 2006;32:326⁣332)

• Keywords: Endoscopic mucosal resection, Endoscopic submucosal dissection, Needle knife, En bloc resection, Resection time