Pancreatoscopy: present and future role

Efficacy, Safety, and Outcomes of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography With Per-Oral Pancreatoscopy: A Multicenter Experience

INTRODUCTION

Per-oral pancreatoscopy can be used for both evaluation and treatment of pancreatic duct stones during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, evaluating and treating pancreatic duct strictures of indeterminate etiology, and visual inspection and direct biopsy of pancreatic duct mucosa for diagnosis of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN). We aim to describe the efficacy, safety, and outcomes of pancreatoscopy in a large, multicenter series of patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A multicenter retrospective review was conducted of all patients who underwent per-oral pancreatoscopy at 2 large tertiary-care medical centers. Review of relevant medical records, laboratory data, imaging studies, endoscopic procedure notes, telephone follow-up notes, and progress notes was performed.

RESULTS

Thirty-three patients underwent 41 pancreatoscopy procedures. Indications included: 20 (48.8%) for diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic duct stones, 16 (39%) for investigation of IPMN, and 5 (12.2%) for evaluation of pancreatic duct strictures.In 20 procedures performed for stone disease, complete pancreatic duct clearance was achieved in 17 of 20 (85%) cases. Strictures were successfully dilated in 5 of 5 (100%) procedures. Direct visualization and biopsy demonstrated IPMN in 11 of 11 (100%) cases. Adverse events occurred in 3 of 41 (7.3%) of procedures, all of which were mild.

CONCLUSIONS

In this large series, we demonstrate that in patients with difficult to manage stone disease, strictures and possible malignant ductal pathology, pancreatoscopy is an effective and safe tool that can facilitate both diagnosis and effective therapy. Adverse events in our study were mild and within acceptable limits, further demonstrating that this is a safe procedure that should be offered to appropriate patients.

Per-oral cholangioscopy

Direct endoscopic views of bile duct have been described in literature since the 1970s. Since then rapid strides have been made with the advent of technologically advanced systems with better image quality and maneuverability. The single operator semi-disposable per-oral cholangioscope and other novel methods such as the cholangioscopy access balloon are likely to revolutionize this field. Even though cholangioscopy is currently used primarily for characterization of indeterminate strictures and management of large bile duct stones, the diagnostic and therapeutic indications are likely to expand in future. The following is an overview of the currently available per-oral cholangioscopy equipments, indications for use and future directions.