Cholangioscopy-guided lithotripsy in the treatment of difficult bile ducts stones - Bulgarian and Egyptian experience.

Introduction: Up to 10% of bile duct stones are deemed 'difficult' because they cannot be extracted using standard endoscopic techniques. In these situations, cholangioscopy allows for stone fragmentation under direct visual control.

EUS-Guided Biliary Drainage Versus ERCP in Malignant Biliary Obstruction Before Hepatobiliary Surgery: An International Multicenter Comparative Study.

Introduction: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage (EUS-BD) is the procedure of choice for patients who cannot undergo endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The outcomes of patients undergoing surgery after EUS-BD for malignancy are unknown.

Methods: We conducted an international, multicenter retrospective comparative study of patients who underwent hepatobiliary surgery after having undergone EUS-BD or ERCP from 6 tertiary care centers.

Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm of the Pancreas: Need for a Tailored Approach to a Rare Entity.

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) of the pancreas is a relatively new entity that has gained increased attention because of its unique features - presence of different subtypes with different malignant potential, biological behavior, and prognosis, higher rates of recurrences and concomitant or metachronous pancreatic duct cancer. It is rare with an incidence of 4 to 5 cases per 100 000. The relative lack of experience significantly hampers decision making for surgery (pancreatic head resection, distal pancreatectomy or enucleation) or follow-up.

The role of pancreatoscopy in the diagnostic work-up of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Confirming the diagnosis, invasiveness, and disease extent of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) of the pancreas is challenging. The aim of this study was to summarize the literature on the efficacy and safety of peroral pancreatoscopy (POP) in the diagnosis of IPMN, including the impact of pre- and intraoperative POP on the management of IPMN.

Methods: The EMBASE, Medline Ovid, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Google Scholar databases were systematically searched for articles.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage-current status and future perspectives.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with stenting is the treatment modality of choice for patients with benign and malignant bile duct obstruction. ERCP could fail in cases of duodenal obstruction, duodenal diverticulum, ampullary neoplastic infiltration or surgically altered anatomy. In these cases percutaneous biliary drainage (PTBD) is traditionally used as a rescue procedure but is related to high morbidity and mortality and lower quality of life.

Post-liver transplant biliary complications: Current knowledge and therapeutic advances.

Liver transplantation is the current standard of care for end-stage liver disease and an accepted therapeutic option for acute liver failure and primary liver tumors. Despite the remarkable advances in the surgical techniques and immunosuppressive therapy, the postoperative morbidity and mortality still remain high and the leading causes are biliary complications, which affect up to one quarter of recipients. The most common biliary complications are anastomotic and non-anastomotic biliary strictures, leaks, bile duct stones, sludge and casts.

Drug-induced Bile Duct Injury - A Short Review.

The liver represents the major site of drug metabolism, i.e. the key organ in the processes of detoxification and elimination of drugs from the organism.

Role of digital single-operator cholangioscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of biliary disorders.

Due to the need for improvement in the diagnosis and minimally invasive therapy of the bile duct disorders new technologies for cholangioscopy have been recently developed. Per-oral cholangioscopy has become an important diagnostic and therapeutic tool leading to avoidance of aggressive and unnecessary surgery in many clinical scenarios. This paper focuses on the newly developed SpyGlass DS technology, its advantages, and the technique of single-operator cholangioscopy (SOC), biliary indications and possible adverse events.

Intraluminal duodenal ("windsock") diverticulum: a rare cause of biliary obstruction and acute pancreatitis in the adult.

An intraluminal duodenal diverticulum (IDD) is a rare congenital anomaly, which is a result of incomplete recanalization of the foregut lumen during embryonic development. Most patients are asymptomatic. Symptoms usually occur after the third decade of life and mainly include epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, or bloating.