A meta-analysis comparing ProCore and standard fine-needle aspiration needles for endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition.

To overcome the limitations associated with cytology, a uniquely designed needle (ProCore) was introduced in an effort to obtain a core of tissue under endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guidance. However, studies comparing the sample quality between ProCore and standard-design fine-needle aspiration (FNA) needles have yielded varying results. A systematic review and meta-analysis was therefore conducted to compare the performance of the ProCore and standard FNA needles when performing EUS-guided tissue acquisition.