Assessment of Intraoperative Probe-based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy in Digestive and Endocrine Surgery: a Pilot Study (Pilot pCLE)

Assessment of the Intraoperative Probe-based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy in Digestive and Endocrine Surgery - a Pilot Study

Intraoperative histological examination is a fundamental tool in surgery. Probe-based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy (pCLE) is a new imaging technique which enables real-time, microscope-resolution imaging, currently used in endoscopy. This pilot study aims to evaluate pCLE in surgical setting. The objective is the depiction of histological rendering of normal and pathological tissues through pCLE. Feasibility of real-time diagnosis will also be assessed. All surgical conditions usually necessitating frozen section will be investigated. A total of 30 patients, with various pathology of the thyroid / parathyroid, stomach, esophagus, pancreas, adrenal, colon / small intestine, liver will be included. Diagnostic criteria will be defined by a surgeon - pathologist team and further validated by retrospective analysis of the video sequences in comparison to conventional histology slides. The data will be used to create an image bank of reference optical biopsy images. The study will allow to point out the surgical conditions in which pCLE is the most effective and reliable and could eventually replace the frozen section technique.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Malignant Tumor; Inflammatory Disease; All Surgical Conditions Usually Necessitating Frozen Section; Benign Tumor
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: pCLE; Drug: IV fluorescein administration

Detailed Description

Intraoperative histological examination is a fundamental tool for cancer surgery (extent of surgery, resection margins, sentinel lymph node) and necessary in other circumstances like redo surgery or endocrine surgery. Using conventional frozen section technique results in the prolongation of operating time of about 40 minutes.

Probe-based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy (pCLE) is a new imaging technique which enables real-time, microscope-resolution imaging. Specifically, after intravenous injection of a fluorescent contrast agent - in this study fluorescein will be used, the pCLE system provides video sequences of the tissue, using a confocal microscope integrated in a miniprobe and a low power laser as the illumination source (Cellvizio®, Mauna Kea Technologies, Paris, France).

The pCLE is currently used in endoscopy, mainly for the follow-up of Barrett's esophagus, colorectal polyps and strictures of the bile and pancreatic ducts, but also in urology. The pCLE has never been tested in open or video-assisted surgery settings. Sterilizable probes exist and are certified for use via an endoscope in France (UHD CystoFlexTM, AQ-FLEX 19TM Mauna Kea Technologies, Paris, France). A probe (CelioFlex UHDTM) is currently being developed for use in laparoscopic surgery setting.

This pilot study aims to evaluate pCLE in surgical setting. Each anatomical structure corresponds to a specific tissue architecture, which is today known through standard histological examination. Conventional histology implies alteration of the tissue architecture, with ablation of blood supply, sampling and technical treatment of the samples (fixation, cutting, staining). The pCLE enables to bypass this process and allows obtaining images of the microscopic structure in vivo, without cell damage and without interruption of the blood and lymphatic circulation. The obtained video sequences reflect the microscopic architecture, in a form which is to date, neither mapped nor exploited for deep organs. The potential of this technique was demonstrated in intraabdominal organs only in the animal model, with very encouraging results as the sensitivity and specificity of pCLE were superior to standard histological examination.

The primary objective is the depiction of histological rendering of normal and pathological tissues through pCLE. Feasibility of real-time diagnosis will also be assessed. All surgical conditions usually necessitating frozen section will be investigated. A total of 30 patients, with various pathology of the thyroid / parathyroid, stomach, esophagus, pancreas, adrenal, colon / small intestine, liver will be included.

The installation and surgical opening will be performed according to standard protocols. A contrast agent, fluorescein, will be injected intravenously to allow tissue visualization with the pCLE. During the surgery, the surgeon will perform the pCLE examination, to obtain and record video sequences of in situ structures. Frozen sections will be obtained on the same samples and will further guide the surgical decision-making.

Diagnostic criteria will be defined by a surgeon - pathologist team and further validated by retrospective analysis of the sequences in comparison to conventional histology slides. The data will be used to create an image bank of reference optical biopsy images.

The study will allow to point out the surgical conditions in which pCLE is the most effective and reliable and could eventually replace the frozen section technique.

A second study, in comparative prospective settings, could further be focused only on the promising conditions in order to evaluate diagnosis accuracy on a statistical basis.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 15
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• France
  • Strasbourg, France, 67000
    • Service de Chirurgie Digestive et Endocrinienne - Nouvel Hôpital Civil

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patient, male or female, over 18 years old
• Patient candidate to digestive or endocrine surgery in whom the surgeon deems necessary intraoperative frozen section
• Patient able to understand the study and to provide informed consent
• Patient affiliated to the French social security system

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient unable to provide informed consent
• Patient with known or suspected allergy to fluorescein
• Patient who had a previous life-threatening reaction during an angiography
• Patient with a history of multiple and severe allergic reactions to medications
• Patient taking a beta-blocker treatment
• Patient with comorbidity considered by the investigator, as incompatible with the procedures of the study
• Patient pregnant or breastfeeding
• Patient in exclusion period (determined by a previous study or in progress)
• Patient having forfeited their freedom of an administrative or legal obligation
• Patient under guardianship

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: pCLE; Patients subject to endocrine or digestive surgery will have intraoperative pCLE examination. The installation and surgical opening will be performed according to standard protocols. The contrast agent, fluorescein, will be injected intravenously to allow tissue visualization with pCLE. During the surgery, the surgeon will perform the pCLE examination, to obtain and record video sequences of in situ structures. Frozen sections will be obtained on the same samples and will further guide the surgical decision-making.

Device: pCLE; Histological examination by pCLE technique preceding the frozen section; Drug: IV fluorescein administration; IV Fluorescein (fluorescent contrast agent) administration

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Diagnosis accuracy of intraoperative imaging with pCLE technique	The diagnosis proposed by the surgeon / investigator in intraoperative setting on the basis of video sequences of pCLE will be compared to frozen section.	During surgery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Diagnosis accuracy of pCLE imaging, retrospectively using the newly described diagnosis criteria	The diagnosis proposed by the surgeon / investigator after retrospective review of the intraoperative video sequences of pCLE based on the newly described diagnosis criteria will be compared to frozen section and conventional histology.	One year
pCLE video sequences interpretation learning curve	Comparison of the surgeon's ability to obtain intraoperative diagnosis relative to that of the pathologist in the same circumstances.	One year
Time needed for pCLE imaging procedure	Evaluation of the time required for the practice of pCLE and comparison to the time required for frozen section.	During surgery
Specific morbidity and mortality rate	Morbidity rate / mortality specific to the pCLE imaging procedure.	One month after surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: IHU Strasbourg
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Mihaela Ignat, MD, PhD, Service de Chirurgie Digestive et Endocrinienne - Nouvel Hôpital Civil - Strasbourg

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Wallace MB, Fockens P. Probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy. Gastroenterology. 2009 May;136(5):1509-13. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2009.03.034. Epub 2009 Mar 28. No abstract available.
• Ignat M, Aprahamian M, Lindner V, Altmeyer A, Perretta S, Dallemagne B, Mutter D, Marescaux J. Feasibility and reliability of pancreatic cancer staging using fiberoptic confocal fluorescence microscopy in rats. Gastroenterology. 2009 Nov;137(5):1584-92.e1. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2009.07.045. Epub 2009 Jul 24.
• Kwan AS, Barry C, McAllister IL, Constable I. Fluorescein angiography and adverse drug reactions revisited: the Lions Eye experience. Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2006 Jan-Feb;34(1):33-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-9071.2006.01136.x.
• Ignat M, Lindner V, Vix M, Marescaux J, Mutter D. Intraoperative Probe-Based Confocal Endomicroscopy to Histologically Differentiate Thyroid From Parathyroid Tissue Before Resection. Surg Innov. 2019 Apr;26(2):141-148. doi: 10.1177/1553350618814078. Epub 2018 Nov 23.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 13, 2015
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 14, 2017
• Study Completion (Actual): February 1, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 15, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 15, 2015
• First Posted (Estimate): September 16, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 22, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 20, 2019
• Last Verified: March 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: pCLE; Digestive surgery; Endocrine surgery
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: 15-001