Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing-Based Fine-Needle Aspiration in Patients With Suspected Infected Pancreatic

Donghuang Hong1,2, Peng Wang2, Yao Xu2

  • 1Department of Critical Care Medicine, Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, China.

Abstract

Insights

Adding metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) to fine-needle aspiration (FNA) for infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) shows similar diagnostic accuracy to traditional methods but did not improve patient outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Gastroenterology
  • Diagnostic Microbiology

Background:

  • Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) has limitations in diagnosing infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) due to high false-negative rates.
  • Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) offers a potential advancement for pathogen identification in clinical diagnostics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the diagnostic performance of combining mNGS with FNA for IPN.
  • To assess the impact of mNGS results on treatment decisions and clinical outcomes in IPN patients.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective, single-arm feasibility study involving patients with suspected IPN.
  • Simultaneous culture and mNGS analysis of FNA drainage samples.
  • Comparison of diagnostic accuracy and clinical outcomes against a reference standard and historical controls.

Main Results:

  • FNA-mNGS demonstrated 80.0% accuracy, with 82.35% sensitivity and 66.67% specificity.
  • mNGS results influenced treatment changes in 80% of patients.
  • No significant difference in positive detection rates between mNGS and culture (75% vs 70%).

Conclusions:

  • The addition of mNGS to FNA for IPN diagnosis yields comparable accuracy to culture-based methods.
  • This combined approach did not demonstrate an improvement in clinical outcomes compared to historical controls.