Real-Time Optical Diagnosis of Colorectal Polyps in the Routine Clinical Practice Using the NICE and WASP Classifications in a Nonacademic Setting

Background: Narrow-band imaging (NBI) allows “in vivo” classification of colorectal polyps. Objectives: We evaluated the optical diagnosis by nonexpert community-based endoscopists in routine clinical practice, the impact of training, and whether the endoscopists could achieve the threshold for the “do not resect” policy. Methods: This was an observational study performed in two periods (P1 and P2). Endoscopists had no prior experience in NBI in P1 and applied the technique on a daily basis for 1 year before participation in P2. Lesions were classified by applying the NBI International Colorectal Endoscopic (NICE) and Workgroup serrAted polypS and Polyposis (WASP) classifications, simultaneously. Results: A total of 290 polyps were analyzed. The overall accuracy of optical diagnosis was 0.75 (95% CI 0.68–0.81) in P1, with an increase to 0.82 (95% CI 0.73–0.89) in P2 ( p = 0.260). The accuracy of the NICE/WASP classifications to differentiate adenomatous from nonadenomatous histology was 0.78 (95% CI 0.72–0.84) in P1 and 0.86 (95% CI 0.77–0.92) in P2 ( p = 0.164); assignments made with a high confidence level achieved statistical significance (13% improvement, 95% CI 3–22%; p = 0.022). The negative predictive value for adenomatous histology of diminutive rectosigmoid polyps was 81% (95% CI 64–93%) and 80% (95% CI 59–93%) in P1 and P2, respectively. Conclusions: Nonexpert endoscopists achieved moderate accuracy for real-time optical diagnosis of colorectal lesions with the NICE/WASP classifications. The overall performance of the endoscopists improved after sustained use of optical diagnosis, but did not achieve the standards for the implementation of the “do not resect” strategy.