The value of narrow-band imaging (NBI) for detecting serrated lesions is unknown.
Objective
To assess NBI for the detection of proximal colon serrated lesions.
Design
Randomized, controlled trial.
Setting
Two academic hospital outpatient units.
Patients
Eight hundred outpatients 50 years of age and older with intact colons undergoing routine screening, surveillance, or diagnostic examinations.
Interventions
Randomization to colon inspection in NBI versus white-light colonoscopy.
Main Outcome Measurements
The number of serrated lesions (sessile serrated polyps plus hyperplastic polyps) proximal to the sigmoid colon.
Results
The mean inspection times for the whole colon and proximal colon were the same for the NBI and white-light groups. There were 204 proximal colon lesions in the NBI group and 158 in the white light group (P = .085). Detection of conventional adenomas was comparable in the 2 groups.
Limitations
Lack of blinding, endoscopic estimation of polyp location.
Conclusion
NBI may increase the detection of proximal colon serrated lesions, but the result in this trial did not reach significance. Additional study of this issue is warranted. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT01572428.)
