CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Endosc Int Open 2023; 11(10): E935-E942
DOI: 10.1055/a-2150-9899
Review

Underwater versus conventional endoscopic mucosal resection for colorectal lesions: An updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Aneesa Rahman Chowdhury
1   Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
,
Jin Sun Kim
1   Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
,
Mimi Xu
1   Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
,
Chloe Tom
1   Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
,
Rachan Narala
1   Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
,
Niwen Kong
1   Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
,
Helen Lee
1   Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
,
Alejandro Vazquez
1   Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
,
Ara Sahakian
1   Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
,
Jennifer Phan
1   Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
,
James Buxbaum
1   Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Background and study aims Colorectal malignancy is a leading cause of death. Conventional endoscopic mucosal resection (CEMR) is a strategy used to resect precancerous lesions that involves injecting fluid beneath a polyp to create a gap for resection. Underwater endoscopic mucosal resection (UEMR) is a newer method that forgoes injection, instead filling the intestinal cavity with water to facilitate polyp resection. Our aim was to compare the safety and efficacy of these approaches by synthesizing the most contemporary evidence.

Methods PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane libraries were searched from inception through November 11, 2022 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing UEMR and CEMR for resection of colorectal lesions. The primary outcome was the rate of en bloc resection and secondary outcomes included recurrence, procedure time, and adverse events (AEs).

Results A total of 2539 studies were identified through our systematic literature search. After screening, seven RCTs with a total of 1581 polyps were included. UEMR was associated with significantly increased rates of en bloc resection (RR 1.18 [1.03, 1.35]; I2 = 76.6%) versus conventional approaches. No significant differences were found in procedure time, recurrence, or AEs.

Conclusions UEMR is a promising effective technique for removal of colorectal lesions. The most contemporary literature indicates that it improves en bloc resection rate without increasing procedure time, recurrence, or AEs (PROSPERO ID CRD42022374935).

Supporting information



Publication History

Received: 22 February 2023

Accepted after revision: 31 July 2023

Accepted Manuscript online:
09 August 2023

Article published online:
09 October 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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