Clarification of automatic optical diagnosis of small colorectal lesions by laser-induced autofluorescence

The article published in the January 2015 edition of Endoscopy entitled “Automatic optical diagnosis of small colorectal lesions by laser-induced autofluorescence” [1] utilized data gathered in 2011 from the WavSTAT3 system. The third-generation product was discontinued in 2012 and is no longer available. We believe the results generated in this evaluation do not accurately reflect the performance of the current WavSTAT4 Optical Biopsy System (SpectraScience, Inc., San Diego, California, USA).

In the years since 2011 when these data were gathered, the system has been improved and changed in many key areas. In addition to a new algorithm that is at the heart of the suspect/nonsuspect diagnostic determination, operating upgrades to both the software and hardware have been incorporated into the WavSTAT4 to improve its diagnostic performance. The result is a significantly improved device, with vastly superior clinical performance, which exceeds the Preservation and Incorporation of Valuable Endoscopic Innovations (PIVI) guidelines for real-time assessment of the histology of diminutive colorectal polyps issued by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Clinical data using the WavSTAT4 Optical Biopsy System presented at Digestive Disease Week (16 – 19 May 2015; Washington, DC, USA) [2] have shown a 96 % negative predictive value (NPV) in the entire colon, with 98 % NPV in the rectosigmoid colon for the diagnosis of diminutive polyps. The conclusions of the authors indicated that the improved WavSTAT4 system is “…accurate enough to leave distal colorectal polyps in place without resection or to resect and discard them without pathologic assessment.”

• References

• 1 Kuiper T, Alderlieste YA, Tytgat KMAJ et al. Automatic optical diagnosis of small colorectal lesions by laser-induced autofluorescence. Endoscopy 2015; 47: 56-62
• 2 Rath T, Vieth M, Grauer M et al. In vivo real-time assessment of colorectal polyp histology using an optical biopsy forceps system based on LASER-induced spectroscopy. Gastrointest Endosc 2015; 81: AB158