Direct peroral cholangioscopy using ultraslim gastroscopes: high technical performance with important diagnostic yield

Consensus guidelines on the role of cholangioscopy to diagnose indeterminate biliary stricture

BACKGROUND

Indeterminate strictures pose a therapeutic dilemma. In recent years, cholangioscopy has evolved and the availability of cholangioscopy has increased. However, the position of cholangioscopy in the diagnostic algorithm to diagnose malignancy have not been well established. We aim to develop a consensus statement regarding the clinical role of cholangioscopy in the diagnosis of indeterminate biliary strictures.

METHODS

The international experts reviewed the evidence and modified the statements using a three-step modified Delphi method. Each statement achieves consensus when it has at least 80% agreement.

RESULTS

Nine final statements were formulated. An indeterminate biliary stricture is defined as that of uncertain etiology under imaging or tissue diagnosis. When available, cholangioscopic assessment and guided biopsy during the first round of ERCP may reduce the need to perform multiple procedures. Cholangioscopy are helpful in diagnosing malignant biliary strictures by both direct visualization and targeted biopsy. The absence of disease progression for at least 6 months is supportive of non-malignant etiology. Direct per-oral cholangioscopy provides the largest accessory channel, better image definition, with image enhancement but is technically demanding. Image enhancement during cholangioscopy may increase the diagnostic sensitivity of visual impression of malignant biliary strictures. Cholangioscopic imaging characteristics including tumor vessels, papillary projection, nodular or polypoid mass, and infiltrative lesions are highly suggestive for neoplastic/malignant biliary disease. The risk of cholangioscopy related cholangitis is higher than in standard ERCP, necessitating prophylactic antibiotics and ensuring adequate biliary drainage. Per-oral cholangioscopy may not be the modality of choice in the evaluation of distal biliary strictures due to inherent technical difficulties.

CONCLUSION

Evidence supports that cholangioscopy has an adjunct role to abdominal imaging and ERCP tissue acquisition in order to evaluate and diagnose indeterminate biliary strictures.

Diagnostic performance of digital and video cholangioscopes in patients with suspected malignant biliary strictures: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Per-oral cholangioscopy (POC) has evolved over the past decade from fiberoptic to digital and video imaging systems. Nowadays, only direct per-oral cholangioscopy (DPOC) and digital single-operator cholangioscopy (DS) are performed in daily practice. With better image resolution, POC is increasingly used as diagnostic tools in patients with suspected malignant biliary stricture (MBS). We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic yield of digital/video cholangioscopes for the diagnosis of MBS.

METHODS

A systematic search was performed in MEDLINE, Embase, and ISI Web of Knowledge databases until April 2020, to identify randomized controlled trials and prospective studies using digital or video POC. The meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy study was performed to calculate summary estimates of the primary outcomes, including pooled sensitivity, and specificity of POC to diagnose MBS using bivariate random-effects models. Tissue histopathology was used as the reference standard for MBS diagnosis. For benign stricture, negative tissue histopathology and at least 6 months clinical follow-up were required.

RESULTS

Thirteen original articles with 876 patients were identified. The overall pooled sensitivity and specificity were 88 (95% CI 83-91) and 95 (95% CI 89-98), respectively. The area under the curve (AUROC) was 0.94 (95% CI 0.92-0.96). Subgroup analysis showed that cholangioscopic image impression provided significantly higher sensitivity (93% (95% CI 88-96) vs 82% (95% CI 76-87); p = 0.007), but lower specificity 86% (95% CI 75-92) vs 98 (95% CI 95-99); p < 0.001) than the tissue diagnosis from cholangioscopic-guided biopsy. In addition, biopsy obtained from DPOC had significantly higher sensitivity than that of DS (92% (95% CI 81-97) vs 79% (95% CI 72-84); p = 0.004). Diagnostic performance under image-enhanced endoscopy was not significantly better from white light endoscopy.

CONCLUSIONS

Digital/video POC has very high diagnostic performance to diagnose MBS. While image diagnosis provides higher sensitivity than biopsy, its specificity drops as a trade-off.

Review article: Asia-Pacific consensus recommendations on endoscopic tissue acquisition for biliary strictures

BACKGROUND

Pre-operative tissue diagnosis for suspected malignant biliary strictures remains challenging.

AIM

To develop evidence-based consensus statements on endoscopic tissue acquisition for biliary strictures.

METHODS

The initial draft of statements was prepared following a systematic literature review. A committee of 20 experts from Asia-Pacific region then reviewed, discussed, and modified the statements. Two rounds of independent voting were conducted to reach a final version. Consensus was considered to be achieved when 80% or more of voting members voted "agree completely" or "agree with some reservation."

RESULTS

Eleven statements achieved consensus. The choice of tissue sampling modalities for biliary strictures depends on the clinical setting, the location of lesion, and availability of expertise. Detailed radiological and endoscopic evaluation is useful to guide the selection of appropriate tissue acquisition technique. Standard intraductal biliary brushing and/or forceps biopsy is the first option when endoscopic biliary drainage is required with an overall (range) sensitivity and specificity of 45% (26%-72%) and 99% (98%-100%), and 48% (15%-100%) and 99% (97%-100%), respectively, in diagnosing malignant biliary strictures. Probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy and fluorescence in situ hybridisation using 4 fluorescent-labelled probes targeting chromosomes 3, 7, 17 and 9p21 locus may be added to improve the diagnostic yield. Cholangioscopy-guided biopsy and EUS-guided tissue acquisition can be considered after prior negative conventional tissue sampling with an overall (range) sensitivity and specificity of 60% (38%-88%) and 98% (83%-100%), and 80% (46%-100%) and 97% (92%-100%), respectively, in diagnosing malignant biliary strictures.

CONCLUSION

These consensus statements provide evidence-based recommendations for endoscopic tissue acquisition of biliary strictures.

Intraductal Ultrasonography without Radiocontrast Cholangiogramin Patients with Extrahepatic Biliary Disease

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Intraductal ultrasonography (IDUS) has been performed as an adjunct to endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) during radiocontrast cholangiography (RC). Radiation exposure during RC poses a health risk to both patients and examiners. We evaluated the feasibility of IDUS without RC in various extrahepatic biliary diseases.

METHODS

IDUS was performed with the insertion of an IDUS probe from the papilla of Vater to the confluent portion of the common hepatic duct without fluoroscopy. The technical success rate and procedure-related complications were evaluated retrospectively.

RESULTS

Wire-guided IDUS without RC was performed in 105 patients. The mean age was 66.5 years, and 50 (47.6%) were male. The IDUS diagnoses included choledocholithiasis (73, 69.5%), benign biliary stricture (11, 10.5%), choledocholithiasis with biliary pancreatitis (9, 8.6%), bile duct cancer (5, 4.8%), pancreatic cancer (1, 0.9%), and others (6, 5.7%). After IDUS, 66 (62.8%) underwent stone removal, 19 (18.1%) underwent biliary drainage, and 7 (6.6%) underwent brush cytology and biopsy. No significant complications such as perforation or severe pancreatitis occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

IDUS without RC was a feasible and safe approach in patients with various extrahepatic biliary diseases. We anticipate a potentially important role of IDUS in various ERC procedures because it lacks the hazards of RC.

A prospective study of the risk of bacteremia in directed cholangioscopic examination of the common bile duct

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The frequency of bacteremia during ERCP with cholangioscopy has not been well studied. There are no formal guidelines regarding antibiotic prophylaxis before ERCP with cholangioscopy. The aim was to estimate the frequency of bacteremia and subsequent infectious adverse events after ERCP with cholangioscopy.

METHODS

This prospective nonrandomized study performed in a single tertiary referral center included adult patients who were undergoing ERCP with cholangioscopic examination of the common bile duct. Blood cultures were drawn from patients before the procedure and 5 and 30 minutes after the procedure. Antibiotics were not given before or after the procedure. Patients were followed up after 24 hours and 1 week after the procedure for infectious adverse events. The primary outcome was bacteremia rate, and secondary outcomes were cholangitis rate and adverse events.

RESULTS

Fifty-seven patients were enrolled in the study with 60 procedures performed. The first procedure from each patient was considered in the analysis, and thus we included 57 patients with 57 procedures in this study analysis. Postprocedure bacteremia was seen in 5 of 57 procedures (8.8%; 95% confidence interval, 2.9%-19.3%). Four patients were readmitted with cholangitis (7.0%). Bacteremia was more common in patients who had cholangioscopy with biopsy sampling compared with patients who had cholangioscopy without biopsy sampling (P = .011). Cholangitis was significantly more common in patients with bacteremia than in those patients with a negative blood culture (P = .035).

CONCLUSION

ERCP with cholangioscopy is associated with a bacteremia rate of 8.8% and a cholangitis rate of 7.0%. Preprocedural antibiotics may be considered before cholangioscopy, especially if tissue acquisition with biopsy sampling is expected. (

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT01673269.).