Comparison of Linked Color Imaging and Narrow-Band Imaging for Detection and Miss Rates during Right-Sided...

Right-sided lesions are frequently missed during colonoscopy, and the diagnostic performance of image-enhanced endoscopy (IEE) modalities remains debated. This multicenter randomized controlled trial compared linked color imaging (LCI) with second-generation narrow-band imaging (2G-NBI) for adenoma detection and miss rates in the right colon.

Patients undergoing colonoscopy at six centers in Japan between November 2020 and November 2023 were randomly assigned (1:1) to primary right-colon observation with LCI or 2G-NBI, followed by secondary white-light imaging (WLI). The primary outcome was adenoma detection rate (ADR) in the right-sided colon during primary IEE observation. Secondary outcomes included polyp detection rate (PDR) and miss rates of adenomas and polyps.

A total of 1,528 patients were analyzed (LCI, n = 776; 2G-NBI, n = 752). ADR did not significantly differ between the LCI group and the 2G-NBI group (26.7% vs. 23.4%, p = 0.14). PDR was also comparable (32.6% vs. 28.9%, p = 0.12). However, secondary WLI identified fewer additional polyps after LCI than after 2G-NBI (12.4% vs. 16.4%, p = 0.026). Per-lesion miss rates were significantly lower with LCI for both adenomas (19.9% vs. 31.4%) and polyps (21.5% vs. 31.9%) (both p < 0.001). Multivariable analyses confirmed the association between LCI and a reduced risk of missed lesions, with more pronounced associations observed in cases of poor bowel preparation, procedures by expert endoscopists, and observation times ≤70 s.

Although ADR did not differ significantly between modalities, lower miss rates in the right-sided colon were observed with LCI. The Japan Registry of Clinical Trials (jRCT1012200007).