Percutaneous or Endoscopic Treatment of Peripheral Bile Duct Leaks: Initial Experience with an Innovative Approach of Microcatheter-Delivered Argon Plasma Coagulation.

Purpose: Biliary ductal injuries are challenging to treat, and often lead to severe morbidity and mortality. The first-line approach involves endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with sphincterotomy and, in case of refractory leakage, long-lasting percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage, endoscopic or percutaneous injection of sclerosing agents and/or coiling can be used. We describe a treatment procedure using microcatheter-mediated percutaneous or endoscopic argon plasma coagulation (APC).

Endoscopic stenting for gastroduodenal outlet obstruction of a malignant origin, real life experience in a single center.

Aim: to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of self-expandable metal stent placement for malignant gastric outlet obstruction (GOO).

Methods: a retrospective, analytic cohort study at a single, tertiary-care center.

Results: thirty-six patients that underwent stent placement for GOO of malignant origin were identified during the study period.

Surgical Trauma Caused by Different Abdominal Access Routes-Comparison of Open Surgical, Laparoscopic, and NOTES Transgastric Techniques in a Porcine Model.

Background: Investigations indicate that natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) procedures induce a less pronounced postoperative inflammatory response than open or laparoscopic surgery, inflicting less trauma. In NOTES procedures, no skin incision is performed. We compare the inflammatory response added by the type of incision by measuring C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumors necrosis factor-alfa (TNF-α).

Endoscopic Suturing, an Essential Enabling Technology for New NOTES Interventions.

Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) was developed as a new, minimally invasive approach for various interventions inside the peritoneal cavity. Since the first reports of NOTES animal interventions, various devices have been used for closure of the transluminal entrance site. This article reviews the most commonly used endoscopic closure devices and advantages of the latest generation of endoscopic suturing devices enabling reliable, surgical-quality closure of the full-thickness gastrointestinal wall defects.