Endoscopic papillectomy

The value of endoscopic ultrasonography for differential diagnosis in obstructive jaundice of the distal common bile duct

INTRODUCTION

Obstructive jaundice is a common clinical disease of great significance; however, diagnosing it according to etiology, especially in patients with distal obstructive jaundice is difficult. The development of endoscopic ultrasonography has improved diagnostic methods. Endoscopic ultrasonography not only improves the accuracy of conventional endoscopic ultrasound technology in etiological diagnosis, but also offers several special endoscopic ultrasound technologies for diagnosing distal obstructive jaundice of the common bile duct. What's more, endoscopic ultrasonography can be used to treat distal obstructive jaundice of common bile duct.

AREAS COVERED

This review discusses the diagnostic value and applications of endoscopic ultrasonography for obstructive jaundice of the distal common bile duct.

EXPERT OPINION

This article summarizes the value of endoscopic ultrasonography in the etiological diagnosis, relevant treatment applications of distal obstructive jaundice and the limitations of endoscopic ultrasonography in some etiologies due to the lack of clear comparison with other imaging methods. We also provide new data for the future research direction of endoscopic ultrasonography in distal obstructive jaundice.

Impact of 5-Year Endoscopic Surveillance Intervals with Biopsy following Endoscopic Papillectomy for Ampullary Adenoma

Background: Endoscopic snare papillectomy (ESP) has been established as a safe and effective treatment for ampullary adenomas. However, little is known about the optimal post-procedure follow-up period and the role of routine endoscopic surveillance biopsy following ESP. We aimed to evaluate patient adherence to a 5-year endoscopic surveillance and routine biopsy protocol after ESP of ampullary adenoma. Methods: We reviewed our prospectively collected database (n = 98), all members of which underwent ESP for ampullary lesions from January 2011 to December 2016, for the evaluation of long-term outcomes. The primary outcome was the rate of patient adherence to 5-year endoscopic surveillance following ESP. The secondary outcomes were the diagnostic yield of routine endoscopic biopsy, recurrence rate, and adverse events after endoscopic surveillance in the 5-year follow-up (3-month, 6-month, and every 1 year). Results: A total of 19 patients (19.4%) experienced recurrence during follow-up, all of these patients experienced recurrence within 3 years of the procedure (median 217 days, range 69–1083). The adherence rate for patients with sporadic ampullary adenoma were 100%, 93.5%, and 33.6% at 1, 3, and 5 years after ESP, respectively. The diagnostic yield of routine endoscopic biopsy without macroscopic abnormality was 0.54%. Pancreatitis occurred in four patients (4%, 3 mild, 1 moderate) after surveillance endoscopic biopsy without macroscopic abnormality. Conclusions: Given the low 5-year adherence rate and diagnostic yield of routine endoscopic biopsy with risk of pancreatitis, optimal surveillance intervals according to risk stratification (low grade vs. high grade adenoma/intramucosal adenocarcinoma) may be required to improve patient adherence, and routine biopsy without macroscopic abnormality may not be recommended.

Novel endoscopic papillectomy for reducing postoperative adverse events (with videos)

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic adenoma can potentially transform into adenocarcinoma, so it is recommended to be resected surgically or endoscopically. Endoscopic papillectomy is one of the main treatments for papillary adenoma, and bleeding, perforation, and pancreatitis are the most frequent and critical adverse events that restrict its wider use. There is no standard procedure for endoscopic papillectomy yet. The procedure is relevant to postoperative adverse events.

AIM

To reduce the postoperative adverse event rates and improve patients’ postoperative condition, we developed a standard novel procedure for endoscopic papillectomy.

METHODS

The novel endoscopic papillectomy had two main modifications based on the conventional method: The isolation of bile from pancreatic juice with a bile duct stent and wound surface protection with metal clips and fibrin glue. We performed a single-center retrospective comparison study on the novel and conventional methods to examine the feasibility of the novel method for reducing postoperative adverse events.

RESULTS

A total of 76 patients, of whom 23 underwent the novel procedure and 53 underwent the conventional procedure, were retrospectively evaluated in this study. The postoperative bleeding and pancreatitis rates of the novel method were significantly lower than those of the conventional method (0 vs 20.75%, P = 0.028, and 17.4% vs 41.5%, P = 0.042, respectively). After applying the novel method, the most critical adverse event, perforation, was entirely prevented, compared to a prevalence of 5.66% with the conventional method. Several postoperative symptoms, including fever, rapid pulse, and decrease in hemoglobin level, were significantly less frequent in the novel group (P = 0.042, 0.049, and 0.014, respectively). Overall, the total adverse event rate of the novel method was lower (0 vs 24.5%, P = 0.007) than that of the conventional method.

CONCLUSION

Patients who underwent the novel procedure had lower postoperative adverse event rates. This study demonstrates the potential efficacy and safety of the novel endoscopic papillectomy in reducing postoperative adverse events.

A Comparison of Clinical Outcomes between Endoscopic Resection and Surgical Resection in Ampullary Tumors

Background and objectives: This study aimed to elucidate the clinical outcomes of endoscopic resection (ER) through comparison with surgical resection (SR) through a meta-analysis. Materials and Methods: This meta-analysis was performed using 32 studies. The complete resection and recurrence rates of treatment for ampullary tumors were investigated and compared between ER and SR. In addition, complications, including pancreatitis, cholangitis, cholecystitis, perforation, and papillary stenosis, and mortality of ER and SR, respectively, were estimated. Results: The rates of complete resection were 0.812 (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.758–0.856) and 0.929 (95% CI 0.739–0.984) in ER and SR, respectively. Recurrence rates were 0.145 (95% CI 0.107–0.193) and 0.126 (95% CI 0.057–0.257) in ER and SR, respectively. There were no significant differences in complete resection and recurrence rates between ER and SR in the meta-regression tests (p = 0.164 and p = 0.844, respectively). The estimated rates of pancreatitis, cholangitis/cholecystitis, perforation, and papillary stenosis were 12.8%, 4.4%, 5.2%, and 4.3% in ER and 9.9%, 5.6%, 2.3%, and 5.6% in SR, respectively. There was no significant difference in complications between ER and SR. The mortality rate of SR was slightly higher than that of ER (0.041, 95% CI 0.015–0.107 vs. 0.031, 95% CI 0.005–0.162). Our results show that ER had no significant differences in terms of complete resection and recurrence rates compared to SR, regardless of tumor behaviors. Conclusions: By comparing the complication and mortality rates between ER and SR, the safety of ER was proven.

Trans-duodenal ampullectomy for ampullary neoplasms: early and long-term outcomes in 36 consecutive patients

BACKGROUND

Trans-duodenal ampullectomy (TDA) is a surgical option for the treatment of selected ampullary neoplasms. The aim of this study was to evaluate our experience with TDA for the treatment of ampullary neoplasms, focusing on indications, technical aspects, and short- and long-term outcomes.

METHODS

All TDAs for ampullary neoplasms performed between January 2010 and December 2018 at our institution were retrospectively evaluated. Patients had ampullary neoplasms with low-grade dysplasia or in situ carcinoma (Tis) not suitable for an endoscopic approach, ampullary carcinoma unfit for pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), or ampullary neuroendocrine G1-tumours.

RESULTS

Thirty-six patients were included in the study: 9 (25.0%) with neoplasms with low-grade dysplasia, 4 (11.1%) with G1 neuroendocrine tumours and 23 (63.9%) with Tis or invasive carcinoma. Mean operative time was 252.5 min. Overall and severe (Clavien-Dindo > IIIa) morbidity rate was 44.4% and 13.9%, respectively. No 90-day mortality was observed. At follow-up, no deaths were observed and local recurrence rate was 11.1% for patients with ampullary adenomas with low-grade dysplasia. Among four patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms, only one developed recurrence (pulmonary). Tis, T1 and T2 lesions were found in 16 (69.6%), 2 (8.7%) and 5 (21.7%) patients, respectively: recurrence occurred in 3 patients with Tis lesions (one malignant), no patients with T1 neoplasms and 2 patients with T2 lesions (3 patients had a survival of > 3 years).

CONCLUSIONS

TDA is a feasible and effective surgical procedure for the treatment of ampullary adenomas with low-grade dysplasia when endoscopic approach is contraindicated or has failed. For lesions with evidence of malignancy, TDA seems to be an oncological safe procedure for Tis ampullary cancer and a good palliative procedure for patients unfit for PD. Moreover, TDA may be appropriate for the treatment of G1 ampullary neuroendocrine neoplasms. A large multicentre study of TDA for early ampullary cancers is needed.

Outcome of a novel modified endoscopic papillectomy for duodenal major papilla adenoma

Background and aims

In recent years, with the development of endoscopic techniques, endoscopic resection is widely used for duodenal papillary adenomas, but conventional endoscopic resection has a high rate of incomplete resection and recurrence. On this basis, we have employed a novel modified endoscopic papillectomy (ESP). In this study, we evaluated the feasibility and advantages of this ESP for the treatment of duodenal major papilla adenoma.

Methods

A total of 56 patients with duodenal major papilla adenoma confirmed by endoscopic ultrasonography, intraluminal ultrasound and gastroscopic biopsy from October 2007 to June 2017 were collected in the Department of Gastroenterology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital. The diameter of the adenoma ranged from 1.41 to 2.02 cm. 16 cases were given the conventional method and 40 cases underwent the modified ESP procedure in which a small incision was made by cutting current when anchoring the snare tip on the distal side of the adenoma.

Results

En bloc resection rate was significantly higher in the modified group (100%, 40/40) than that in the conventional group (81.3%, 13/16; P = 0.02). However, no significance was seen between the modified group and the conventional group in complete resection rate (92.5%, 37/40 vs 93.8%, 15/16; P = 1.00). There was no significant difference in the number and difficulty of postoperative pancreatic and biliary stents placement between the two groups (P = 0.20). Total bleeding occurrence was much lower in the modified group (37.5%, 15/40 vs 87.5%, 14/16; P = 0.001), and no significant differences were found in other short-term complications and the 3, 6, 12 and 24 months recurrences rate between the conventional and modified ESP groups.

Conclusions

The modified ESP improves the treatment outcome of duodenal major papilla adenoma with higher en bloc resection rate and lowering bleeding rate.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s00464-020-07715-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Current Endoscopic Management of Malignant Biliary Stricture

Biliary and pancreatic cancers occur silently in the initial stage and become unresectable within a short time. When these diseases become symptomatic, biliary obstruction, either with or without infection, occurs frequently due to the anatomy associated with these cancers. The endoscopic management of these patients has changed, both with time and with improvements in medical devices. In this review, we present updated and integrated concepts for the endoscopic management of malignant biliary stricture. Endoscopic biliary drainage had been indicated in malignant biliary obstruction, but the concept of endoscopic management has changed with time. Although routine endoscopic stenting should not be performed in resectable malignant distal biliary obstruction (MDBO) patients, endoscopic biliary drainage is the treatment of choice for palliation in unresectable MDBO patients. Self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) have better stent patency and lower costs compared with plastic stents (PS). For malignant hilum obstruction, PS and uncovered SEMS yield similar short-term outcomes, while a covered stent is not usually used due to a potential unintentional obstruction of contralateral ducts.

Transduodenal ampullectomy for ampullary tumors - single center experience of consecutive 26 patients

Purpose

Transduodenal ampullectomy (TDA) has been reported in a limited number of cases and in a small number of case series. The aim of this study was to analyze perioperative and long-term oncological outcomes of patients with ampullary tumors who underwent TDA in a single large-volume center.

Methods

Through a retrospective review of data from 2004 to 2016, we identified 26 patients who underwent TDA at Asan Medical Center.

Results

Eleven of 26 patients underwent TDA for T1 and carcinoma in situ (high-grade dysplasia) cancer; these patients are still alive without recurrence. A major in-hospital complication (3.8%) occurred in 1 case, but there was no case of 90-day mortality. In addition, none of the patients was diagnosed as having newly developed diabetes mellitus after TDA. No significant differences were found between open and laparoscopic-TDA in terms of operation time, painkiller use, and hospital stay.

Conclusion

TDA is a feasible and effective surgical procedure for the treatment of selected patients with ampullary tumors. It is an alternative treatment option in cases of ampullary tumors not amenable to endoscopic papillectomy or pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Ampullary Adenoma Treated by Endoscopic Double-Snare Retracting Papillectomy

We report herein improved methods for the safe and successful completion of endoscopic papillectomy (EP). Between January 2008 and November 2011, 12 patients underwent double-snare retracting papillectomy for the treatment of lesions of the major duodenal papilla. The main outcomes were en bloc resection rates, pathological findings, and adverse events. All of the patients (mean age, 60.1 years; range, 38 to 80 years) were diagnosed with ampullary adenoma by endoscopic forceps biopsies prior to endoscopic snare papillectomy. En bloc resection by double-snare retracting papillectomy was successfully performed for all lesions (median size, 12.3 mm), comprising six tubular adenomas, one tubulovillous adenoma, three cases of epithelial atypia, one hamartomatous polyp, and one case of duodenitis with regenerative change. Significant hemorrhage and pancreatitis were observed in one case after EP. Adenoma recurrence occurred in three patients during follow-up (median, 28.5 months) at a mean interval of 2 months postoperatively (range, 1 to 3 months). No serious adverse events were observed. Double-snare retracting papillectomy is effective and feasible for treating lesions of the major duodenal papilla. Further treatment experience, including a single-arm phase II study, needs to be accumulated before conducting a randomized controlled study.

Endoscopic papillectomy: The limits of the indication, technique and results

In the majority of cases, duodenal papillary tumors are adenomas or adenocarcinomas, but the endoscopy biopsy shows low accuracy to make the correct differentiation. Endoscopic ultrasonography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography are important tools for the diagnosis, staging and management of ampullary lesions. Although the endoscopic papillectomy (EP) represent higher risk endoscopic interventions, it has successfully replaced surgical treatment for benign or malignant papillary tumors. The authors review the epidemiology and discuss the current evidence for the use of endoscopic procedures for resection, the selection of the patient and the preventive maneuvers that can minimize the probability of persistent or recurrent lesions and to avoid complications after the procedure. The accurate staging of ampullary tumors is important for selecting patients to EP or surgical treatment. Compared to surgery, EP is associated with lower morbidity and mortality, and seems to be a preferable modality of treatment for small benign ampullary tumors with no intraductal extension. The EP procedure, when performed by an experienced endoscopist, leads to successful eradication in up to 85% of patients with ampullary adenomas. EP is a safe and effective therapy and should be established as the first-line therapy for ampullary adenomas.

Endoscopic snare papillectomy: a single institutional experience of a standardized technique. A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Indications for endoscopic snare papillectomy (ESP) remain controversial. Main concerns with ESP are related to the incomplete removal of the lesion, high recurrence rates and inadequate oncological resection. Aim of the study is to report short and long term outcomes after endoscopic papillectomy in a single institutional series with strict inclusion criteria and a standardized technique.

METHODS

Patients with ampullary tumors who underwent endoscopic papillectomy over a 5 year period were reviewed. Inclusion criteria for endoscopic resection were: tumor diameter less than 3 cm, no endoscopic evidence of malignancy, absence of infiltration of biliary and pancreatic duct at pre-operative ERCP and tumor confined to the submucosa at EUS. An en-block resection was attempted in all cases, followed by a pancreatic stent insertion whenever possible.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven patients (10 female, mean age 68 y) have been identified. Ampullectomy was successfully performed in all the cases. En bloc resection was completed in 24 patients (88.8%), while 3 patients had a piecemeal resection. A pancreatic stent was successfully placed in all the patients. Five patients experienced complications, including bleeding (2 cases, 7.4%) and acute pancreatitis (3 cases, 11.1%). There was no procedure-related mortality. Histology revealed a poor prognosis in two patients, which were subsequently treated by duodenopancreatectomy. Over a long-term follow-up (median 18 months), one patient developed local recurrence, which was successfully treated with further endoscopic resection. Overall curative resection rate was 92.6%.

CONCLUSIONS

Endoscopic ampullectomy allows resection of benign tumors and in situ carcinoma. Strict indications and a proper standardized technique seem to be key factors in order to achieve excellent short and long-term results.

Recent advances in endoscopic papillectomy for ampulla of vater tumors: endoscopic ultrasonography, intraductal ultrasonography, and pancreatic stent placement

Since it was first described nearly three decades ago, endoscopic papillectomy (EP) has been utilized as a less invasive, alternative therapy for adenoma of the major duodenal papilla. In this article, we review the recent advances in EP, especially those pertaining to endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS), intraductal ultrasonography (IDUS), and pancreatic stent placement for the prevention of postpapillectomy pancreatitis. Because EUS and IDUS have similar diagnostic accuracies, either modality can be used for the preprocedural evaluation of ampullary tumors. Nevertheless, further technical refinements are required for a more precise evaluation. Given the paucity of data on the usefulness of EUS and/or IDUS during follow-up after EP, a well-designed study is warranted. Furthermore, pancreatic stent placement appears to have a protective effect against postpapillectomy pancreatitis; however, a prospective, randomized, controlled study with a larger number of patients is needed to assess this finding. Moreover, since pancreatic stent placement after EP is not always successful, various novel techniques have been developed to ensure reliable stent placement. Despite the recent advances in EP, further technical refinements and studies are needed to confirm their efficacy.

Clinicopathologic characteristics associated with complications and long-term outcomes of endoscopic papillectomy for adenoma

PURPOSE

Endoscopic papillectomy (EP) is currently employed for the treatment of ampullary adenoma. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical, endoscopic, and histologic characteristics related to complications and long-term outcomes of EP.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Thirty-nine patients underwent EP for ampullary adenoma. Patients were grouped according to the occurrence of procedure-related complications: no complication group (n=28) and complication group (n=11).

RESULTS

The overall complication rate was 28.2%. The most common complication was EP-related pancreatitis (n=7). Amylase (p=0.006) and lipase levels (p=0.007), 24 hours after EP, were significantly higher in the complication group, however, these levels did not differ at earlier times. As the tumor progressed from adenoma to cancer, the complete resection was significantly lessened (p=0.032). The duration of antiprotease injection during the hospital stay was significantly longer (p=0.017) and the transfusion requirements were significantly higher (p=0.018) in the complication group. During a median follow-up of 15 months, three lesions (10.3%) recurred among patients with complete resection (n=29) and five lesions (12.8%) recurred among enrolled patients. One patient with progressive recurrence from low-grade dysplasia to adenocarcinoma was noted during a follow-up of 22 months.

CONCLUSION

If symptoms are present, amylase and lipase levels, 24 hours after EP, could help predict possible EP-related pancreatitis. Histologic diagnosis through resected specimens may result in complete resection. Patients with complications need a longer duration of antiprotease injection during their hospital stay and more transfusions. The recurrence rate was not significantly high in completely resected cases, however, there was a possibility of progressive recurrence.

Endoscopic papillectomy: Indications, techniques, and results

Endoscopic papillectomy (EP) is currently accepted as a viable alternative therapy to surgery in sporadic ampullary adenoma and has been reported to have high success and low recurrence rates. At present, the indications for EP are not yet fully established. The accepted criteria for EP include size (up to 5 cm), no evidence of intraductal growth, and no evidence of malignancy on endoscopic findings (ulceration, friability, and spontaneous bleeding). Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is the imaging modality of choice for local T staging in ampullary neoplasms. Data reported in the literature have revealed that linear EUS is superior to helical computed tomography in the preoperative assessment of tumor size, detection of regional nodal metastases and detection of major vascular invasion. Endoscopic ampullectomy is performed using a standard duodenoscope in a similar manner to snare polypectomy of a mucosal lesion. There is no standardization of the equipment or technique and broad EP methods are described. Endoscopic ampullectomy is considered a ‘‘high-risk’’ procedure due to complications. Complications of endoscopic papillectomy can be classified as early (pancreatitis, bleeding, perforation, and cholangitis) and late (papillary stenosis) complications. The appropriate use of stenting after ampullectomy may prevent post-procedural pancreatitis and papillary stenosis. Tumor recurrence of benign lesions occurs in up to 20% of patients and depends on tumor size, final histology, presence of intraductal tumor, coexisting familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), and the expertise of the endoscopist. Recurrent lesions are usually benign and most can be retreated endoscopically.

Difficult biliary access for ERCP

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a technically-demanding procedure. The ability to selectively cannulate the bile duct and pancreatic duct (PD) quickly and atraumatically is the key to successful therapeutic ERCP, and to minimizing post-ERCP complications, especially pancreatitis (PEP). Prophylactic stenting of the PD has significantly reduced the risk of severe PEP. Difficult ERCP access refers to the length of time and number of attempts it takes to achieve deep cannulation of the desired duct. If biliary access cannot be achieved quickly, PD stenting over a guide wire is recommended, which facilitates further attempts to enter the bile duct. Familiarity with guide wires and needle knife papillotomy technique are necessary to achieve close to 100 % biliary cannulation. Anatomic abnormalities, from gastric outlet strictures, periampullary diverticula, and ampullary masses to surgical rearrangement of the upper GI tract, contribute to the difficulty of performing ERCP. Adjunctive techniques to overcome these problems include percutaneous transhepatic biliary access and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided puncture of the bile duct through the stomach or duodenal wall. Therapeutic EUS is emerging as a major tool in the management of pancreatic and biliary disease, and will likely replace many therapeutic ERCP techniques in the next decade.

Endoscopic approach to the patient with benign or malignant ampullary lesions

Adenoma and adenocarcinoma are the most common ampullary lesions. Advances in diagnostic modalities including endoscopic ultrasonography and intraductal ultrasonography have provided useful information that aids in diagnosing and managing ampullary lesions. Endoscopic papillectomy can be a curative therapy for localized ampullary adenoma and have a role in the diagnosis of indeterminate ampullary lesions that may contain a hidden malignancy. However, the consensus on how and when to use endoscopic papillectomy has not been fully established. This article reviews the approach to the patient with benign or malignant ampullary lesion.

Endoscopic ultrasound evaluation in the surgical treatment of duodenal and peri-ampullary adenomas

AIM: To investigate endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for predicting depth of mucosal invasion and to analyze outcomes following endoscopic and transduodenal resection.

METHODS: Records of 111 patients seen at our institution from November 1999 to July 2011 with the post-operative pathological diagnosis of benign ampullary and duodenal adenomas were reviewed. Records of patients who underwent preoperative EUS for diagnostic purposes were identified. The accuracy of EUS in predicting the absence of muscular invasion was assessed by comparing EUS reports to the final surgical pathological results. In addition, the incidence of the post-operative complications over a period of 30 d and the subsequent long-term outcome (recurrence) over a period of 30 mo associated with endoscopic and transduodenal surgical resection was recorded, compared and analyzed.

RESULTS: Among 111 patients with benign ampullary and duodenal adenomas, 47 underwent preoperative EUS for 29 peri-ampullary lesions and 18 duodenal lesions. In addition, computed tomography was performed in 18 patients, endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography in 10 patients and esophagogastroduodenoscopy in 22 patients. There were 43 patients with sporadic adenomas and 4 patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP)/other polyposis syndromes. In 38 (81%, P < 0.05) patients, EUS reliably identified absence of submucosal and muscularis invasion. In 4 cases, EUS underestimated submucosal invasion that was proven by pathology. In the other 5 patients, EUS predicted muscularis invasion which could not be demonstrated in the resected specimen. EUS predicted tumor muscularis invasion with a specificity of 88% and negative predictive value of 90% (P < 0.05). Types of resection performed included endoscopic resection in 22 cases, partial duodenectomy in 9 cases, transduodenal ampullectomy with sphincteroplasty in 10 cases and pancreaticoduodenectomy in 6 cases. The main post-operative final pathological results included villous adenoma (n = 5), adenoma (n = 8), tubulovillous adenoma (n = 10), tubular adenoma (n = 20) and hyperplastic polyp (n = 2). Among the 47 patients who underwent resection, 8 (17%, 5 of which corresponded to surgical resection) developed post-procedural complications which included retroperitoneal hematoma, intra-abdominal abscess, wound infection, delayed gastric emptying and prolonged ileus. After median follow-up of 20 mo there were 6 local recurrences (13%, median follow-up = 20 mo) 4 of which were in patients with FAP.

CONCLUSION: EUS accurately predicts the depth of mucosal invasion in suspected benign ampullary and duodenal adenomas. These patients can safely undergo endoscopic or local resection.

Clinical evaluation of endoscopic papillectomy for the diagnosis of tumors of the ampulla of Vater

AIM: To evaluate the value of endoscopic papillectomy (EP) for the diagnosis of tumors of the ampulla of Vater.

METHODS: The clinical data for 16 patients with tumors of the ampulla of Vater were analyzed. The clinical efficacy, complications and safety of EP were evaluated.

RESULTS: Before EP, 12 patients were diagnosed with adenoma and 4 with chronic inflammation by endoscopic biopsy. After EP, 2 cases were diagnosed with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, 1 with well differentiated adenocarcinoma, and 13 with adenoma (including one case of adenoma with malignant transformation and all 4 cases diagnosed with "chronic inflammation" by endoscopic biopsy). The accuracy of EP was significantly higher than that of endoscopic biopsy (P < 0.05). In 9 cases, EUS showed that the lesions originated from the submucosal layer with dilated pancreatic and biliary ducts. None of the cases had submucosal continuity interruption, invasion to pancreatic/biliary ducts or enlarged retroperitoneal lymph nodes on EUS. Twelve patients with high echoic lesions were confirmed to have adenoma, one patient with hyperechoic lesion with localized low echo area were confirmed to have adenoma with malignant transformation, and 3 patients with low echo lesions were confirmed to have adenocarcinoma. After EP, residual lesions were found in bile duct orifice in 2 cases of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, 1 case of adenoma with malignant transformation and 1 case of adenoma, indicating invasion to the bile duct. All of them had a negative preoperative EUS. Lesions were completely resected in 1 case of well differentiated adenocarcinoma and 11 cases of adenoma, and the resection stump was histologically negative for neoplasm. After EP, two patients developed transient melena, but no acute pancreatitis, perforation or other complications occurred. There was no procedural-related death in this group of patients.

CONCLUSION: EP is safe and has a higher accuracy in the diagnosis of tumors of the ampulla of Vater.

Reducing complications in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy

This article reviews the principal aspects related to sedation in endoscopy and to the prevention of adverse events in some of the most frequently performed therapeutic upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopic procedures (esophageal dilation and stenting, endoscopic resection of upper GI early neoplasia, hemostasis of upper GI bleeding and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy insertion). These procedures have an inherent risk of negative outcomes that cannot be entirely avoided. Endoscopic procedures are best performed by well-trained, competent and thoughtful endoscopists in facilities suited to provide for patient safety. Attention to clinical risk management may effectively reduce the frequency and intensity of adverse events, enhance recognition and early detection, and improve responsiveness.

New Endoscopic Techniques: Challenges and Opportunities for Surgical Pathologists

In recent years, significant clinical and technological advances have been made in endoscopic methods for diagnosis and treatment of early gastrointestinal neoplasms. However, essential information related to these novel techniques and their implications for practicing surgical pathologists have largely been missing in the general pathology literature. This article provides a general introduction to these novel therapeutic and diagnostic methods, and discusses their indications, contraindications, and potential limitations. The article aims to enable surgical pathologists to interact more efficiently with basic scientists and clinical colleagues to help implement and improve the existing clinical methods and to advance the new technologies.

Endoscopic hemostasis with fibrin glue for refractory postsphincterotomy and postpapillectomy bleeding

BACKGROUND

Bleeding is a feared complication of endoscopic sphincterotomy and papillectomy. Fibrin glue has been proposed as an effective adjunct in securing hemostasis. However, its use has been limited by the risk of early occlusion of the injecting needle, and its role has not been defined in the setting of refractory post-ERCP bleeding. We present a modified technique of endoscopic hemostasis with diluted fibrin glue in the setting of postsphincterotomy and postpapillectomy bleeds.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to verify that diluted fibrin glue can be easily and successfully injected and is effective in the endoscopic treatment of refractory post-ERCP bleeding.

DESIGN

Case series.

SETTING

A tertiary-care academic medical center.

PATIENTS

Six patients with refractory post-ERCP bleeding were treated (3 after sphincterotomy and 3 after papillectomy) with fibrin glue injection.

INTERVENTION

Endoscopic hemostasis with diluted fibrin glue injection.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS

Successful endoscopic hemostasis with diluted fibrin glue injection.

RESULTS

One session of fibrin glue injection stopped the refractory post-ERCP bleeding in all 6 patients.

LIMITATION

Small number of patients.

CONCLUSION

This case series provides evidence that our modified injection technique of diluted fibrin glue allowed an easy submucosal injection and may be considered to be an effective endoscopic modality to treat refractory post-ERCP bleeding.

Is blind pancreaticoduodenectomy justified for patients with ampullary neoplasms?

BACKGROUND

Many specialists justify pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for pancreatic head neoplasms with suspected but unproven malignance (blind-PD). Our aim in this study was to determine whether blind-PD is also justified for ampullary neoplasms.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the records of all patients with presumed resectable ampullary neoplasms treated at the National Taiwan University Hospital from 1998 to 2008.

RESULTS

Of the 84 patients without a preoperative tissue diagnosis of malignance, 64 had blind-PD and 20 had ampullectomy (AMP) with intraoperative frozen section. Patients with jaundice, gastrointestinal bleeding, imaging findings showing tumor invasion, and larger tumor size were significantly more frequently treated by blind-PD. Final pathological diagnosis was benign in ten of 64 blind-PD-treated patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data support a selective use of blind-PD because (1) a significant portion (65%) of benign ampullary neoplasms can be safely and effectively treated by AMP, (2) blind-PD does not treat ampullary cancer at earlier stage, and (3) blind-PD is associated with significantly more complications and significantly longer hospital stay than AMP. However, blind-PD is strongly recommended for patients with large ampullary neoplasms (>3 cm in diameter), with jaundice, or with malignant endoscopic appearance.

Endoscopic snare papillectomy with biliary and pancreatic stent placement for tumors of the major duodenal papilla

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and follow-up results of endoscopic papilletomy (ESP) with pancreatic and biliary duct stent placement for ampullary tumors. The therapeutic approach to benign ampullary tumors remains unsettled. The ESP procedure is a curative treatment option for benign papillary tumors, but ESP raises concerns about a relatively high risk for procedure-related complications such as pancreatitis. A pancreatic stent may protect against complications.

METHODS

Between September 2000 and June 2008, 36 patients with ampullary tumors confined to the mucosa and no intraductal tumor growth underwent ESP. The preprocedural diagnostic tools included endoscopic ultrasound, transpapillary intraductal ultrasound, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Pancreatic and biliary stent placement was attempted if feasible. Endoscopic follow-up evaluation was conducted periodically as surveillance for recurrence.

RESULTS

En bloc ESP was achieved for 94% of lesions with a median size of 14 mm. There were 26 adenomas including 4 high-grade intraepithelial neoplasias (HGINs), 5 carcinomas in adenoma, and 3 intramucosal cancers. Complete resections with tumor-free lateral and basal margins was achieved for 81% of the cases. During the median follow-up period of 14 months, there was one recurrent adenoma, which was successfully eradicated by a repeat ESP. A pancreatic stent was placed in 35 cases and a biliary stent in 29 cases. Mild acute pancreatitis and bleeding, managed endoscopically, occurred in 3 cases each (8%).

CONCLUSION

The ESP procedure can be feasible for benign ampullary adenoma, HGIN, and noninvasive cancer without intraductal tumor growth. Prophylactic stent placement in the pancreatic and bile ducts may reduce procedure-related complications.