Endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of ampullary neoplasm (with video)

Endoscopic papillectomy for synchronous adenoma of the major and minor duodenal papilla

OBJECTIVES

Synchronous adenomas of the major and minor duodenal papilla are seldom reported. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of synchronous major and minor papilla adenomas and to evaluate the safety and efficacy of endoscopic papillectomy (EP) for the management of the disease.

METHODS

Consecutive patients who underwent endoscopy for synchronous major and minor papilla adenomas from January 1, 2013 to August 31, 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients' characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory, imaging and endoscopic findings were collected.

RESULTS

The nine patients with synchronous major and minor papilla adenomas had an average age of 50.78 ± 10.70 years. The diameter of major and minor papilla adenomas was 12.11 ± 3.41 mm and 6.11 ± 1.05 mm, respectively. Most major papilla adenomas had R0 horizontal margins (n = 8), while R0 vertical margins were achieved in all patients. While minor papilla adenomas were resected with both R0 horizontal and vertical margins in all patients. Post-EP bleeding was observed in one patient, which was classified as mild. Post-EP hyperamylasemia and pancreatitis was observed in two and four patients, respectively; the latter consisted of three with mild pancreatitis and one with severe pancreatitis. No perforation was observed. The mean follow-up duration was 9.22 ± 5.99 months. Histologically confirmed recurrence at the resection site was detected in one patient at 3 months after the procedure.

CONCLUSIONS

Synchronous major and minor papilla adenomas may not be as rare as previously speculated. EP may be an effective and safe alternative modality for their management.

[Treatment of Ampullary Adenocarcinoma]

The ampulla of Vater is a small projection formed by the confluence of the main pancreatic duct and common bile duct in the second part of the duodenum. Primary ampullary adenocarcinoma is a rare malignancy, accounting for only 0.2% of gastrointestinal cancers and approximately 7% of all periampullary cancers. Jaundice from a biliary obstruction is the most common symptom of ampullary adenocarcinoma. In the early stages, radical pancreatoduodenectomy is the standard surgical approach. On the other hand, no randomized controlled trial has provided evidence to guide physicians on the choice of adjuvant/palliative chemotherapy because of the rarity of the disease and the paucity of related research. This paper reports the biology, histology, current therapeutic strategies, and potential future therapies of ampullary adenocarcinoma.

Efficacy analysis of hemostatic spray following endoscopic papillectomy: A multicenter comparative study

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Endoscopic post-papillectomy bleeding is a serious adverse event with a prevalence ranging from 2% to 45.3%. Conventional hemostatic methods, including diluted epinephrine injection before papillectomy or argon plasma coagulation after papillectomy, did not show a preventive role in reducing immediate or delayed post-papillectomy bleeding. Therefore, we aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of a hemostatic powder spray for post-papillectomy bleeding and compare with those of conventional modalities.

METHODS

Patients who underwent endoscopic papillectomy were enrolled in five tertiary hospitals. The group was divided into hemostatic spray and conventional control groups according to the bleeding control methods. The main outcome measurements were delayed bleeding rate and any adverse events related to the procedures.

RESULTS

A total of 40 patients who received a hemostatic spray (n = 18) or conventional hemostatic methods (n = 22) after endoscopic papillectomy were included. The prevalence of delayed bleeding was not different in the two groups: 27.8% and 36.4% in hemostatic spray and conventional control groups (P = 0.564), respectively. The adverse events such as post-papillectomy pancreatitis and cholangitis were not different in the two groups. There were no procedure-related mortalities.

CONCLUSION

Hemostatic spray is technically feasible and safe for the prevention or management of post-papillectomy bleeding. Hemostatic spray can be one of the options for post-papillectomy bleeding control methods owing to its convenient use.

Endoscopic papillectomy for tumors of the minor duodenal papilla: A case series of six patients and literature review

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Various tumors of the minor duodenal papilla have been reported, most of which are treated by laparotomy. Although early-stage tumors of the major papilla are increasingly being treated by endoscopic resection with relative ease and low invasiveness, there are only a few reports on endoscopic resection of tumors in the minor papilla.

METHODS

Six patients with tumors in the minor papilla were treated by endoscopic papillectomy (EP), and their clinical and histopathological data were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

The final pathological diagnoses were carcinoma in adenoma in two patients and adenoma, neuroendocrine neoplasm (G1), hyperplastic lesion, and no neoplastic lesion (disappearance of adenoma after biopsy) in one patient each. En bloc resection was performed in five patients and piecemeal resection in one patient. There were no procedure-related adverse events, such as bleeding, pancreatitis, or perforation. There was one case with a residual lesion, which was treated by ablation therapy, and no recurrences during a mean follow-up of 12 ± 10.33 months (maximum, 28 months) from the date of EP.

CONCLUSIONS

Endoscopic papillectomy appears to be an effective minimally invasive treatment for ampullary tumors of the minor duodenal papilla.

Immunohistochemical staining for IMP3 in patients with duodenal papilla tumors: assessment of the potential for diagnosing endoscopic resectability and predicting prognosis

BACKGROUND

Endoscopic papillectomy of duodenal papillary tumors (PT) is indicated for adenomas or well-differentiated adenocarcinomas that do not involve the sphincter of Oddi. However, there is currently no reliable pre-operative method to diagnose the infiltration in the sphincter of Oddi.' Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA protein 3 (IMP3) staining is reportedly associated with advanced disease stage and clinical outcomes in many carcinomas. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the ability of diagnosing sphincter of Oddi involvement in PT and predicting the prognoses using IMP3 immunohistochemistry.

METHODS

Twenty-five resected specimens from patients with PT and 24 biopsy specimens from the same patients excluding one were immunostained for IMP3. The percentage of positive cells in the tumor was evaluated and compared with the final pathological diagnosis and prognosis.

RESULTS

The final pathological diagnoses were adenoma in 5 patients and adenocarcinoma in 20 patients (no sphincter of Oddi involvement in 5 and involvement in 15). The ability to diagnose sphincter of Oddi involvement based on the percentage of IMP3-positive cells in resected specimens and tissue biopsies was the area under the curve 0.8 and 0.78, respectively, of the receiver operating characteristic curve, and the accuracies were 80.0% and 75.0% (cutoff value: 10%), respectively. Moreover, patients with an IMP3-positive cell rate of ≥ 10% had a significantly worse prognosis (log-rank test P = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

IMP3 immunostaining of resected and biopsy specimens from PT patients enables the diagnosis of sphincter of Oddi involvement objectively and is also effective in predicting the prognosis.

Efficacy of Hypertonic Saline-Epinephrine Local Injection Around the Anal Side before Endoscopic Papillectomy for Ampullary Tumors

Background/Aims

Bleeding is a complication of endoscopic snare papillectomy for ampullary tumors. This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of hypertonic saline-epinephrine (HSE) local injection before endoscopic papillectomy for prevention of bleeding.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the data of 107 consecutive patients with ampullary tumors who underwent endoscopic papillectomy. The rates of en bloc resection, pathological resection margins, and prevention of immediate or delayed bleeding in the simple snaring resection group (Group A) and the HSE injection group (Group B) were compared.

Results

A total of 44 and 63 patients were enrolled in Groups A and B, respectively. The total complete resection rate was 89.7% (96/107); the clinical complete resection rates in Group A and Group B were 86.3% (38/44) and 92.1% (58/63), respectively (p=0.354). Post-papillectomy bleeding occurred in 22 patients. In Groups A and B, the immediate bleeding rates were 20.5% (9/44) and 4.8% (3/63), respectively (p=0.0255), while the delayed bleeding rates were 7% (3/44) and 11% (7/63), respectively (p=0.52). The rates of positive horizontal and vertical pathological margin in both groups were 27% and 16%, respectively.

Conclusions

HSE local injection was effective in preventing immediate bleeding and was useful for safely performing endoscopic papillectomy for ampullary tumors.

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.

Endoscopic snare papillectomy for adenoma of the ampulla of vater: Long-term results in 135 consecutive patients

BACKGROUND

The premalignant nature of ampullary adenomas justifies their radical excision.

AIMS

Aim of this study is to evaluate the long-term results of endoscopic snare papillectomy in a consecutive series of patients with ampullary adenomas.

METHODS

Patients who underwent endoscopic snare papillectomy between October 1999 and October 2017 were identified from an electronic database. Endoscopic snare papillectomy was performed en bloc, when possible; a pancreatic stent or a nasopancreatic drainage were inserted. Endoscopic follow-up was scheduled after 3, 6 and 12 months for the first year, then yearly.

RESULTS

Endoscopic snare papillectomy was performed in 135 patients (70 M, mean age 60.5 years) by en bloc (83%) or piecemeal (17%) resection. Delayed bleeding occurred in 16 patients (11.8%), infected retroperitoneal collections in 6 patients (4.4%), pancreatitis in 4 patients (3%). One patient died (0.7%). Follow-up was available in 103/114 (90.3%) patients. In case of residual (24.3%) and recurrent (23.3%), adenomas endoscopic retreatment was successful in 42/49 cases (85.7%). After a mean follow-up of 40 months, 93.2% (96/103) of the patients were disease free CONCLUSION: Endoscopic snare papillectomy of ampullary adenomas is effective with favorable long-term outcomes. Compliance to the scheduled follow-up is important for the early detection and re-treatment of recurrences.

Therapeutic options for ampullary carcinomas. A review

Ampullary Carcinoma arises from a histologically heterogeneous region where three different epithelia converge. Even though Ampullary Carcinoma has a superior prognosis compared to pancreatic and biliary ductal neoplasms, at least half of the patients turn up at an advanced stage that limits the treatment prospects. In addition to surgery for early-stage disease, several studies have shown that chemoradiotherapy confers additional benefits in the management of Ampullary Carcinoma. Analogously, chemotherapy plays a crucial role in treating advanced Ampullary Carcinoma with distant metastasis/recurrences. Although, stage of the disease, lymph node status, and histo-morphology are three critical prognostic variables, recently much attention is being placed on the genetic landscape of Ampullary Carcinoma. In this review, we have discussed various studies describing the role of chemoradiation and chemotherapy in the treatment of early and advanced stage Ampullary Carcinoma. Also, we have summarized the molecular landscape of Ampullary Carcinoma and the novel therapeutic strategies which could possibly target the genetic alterations involving the tumor cells.

Usefulness of argon plasma coagulation ablation subsequent to endoscopic snare papillectomy for ampullary adenoma

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Endoscopic snare papillectomy (ESP) is an effective treatment for ampullary adenoma. Argon plasma coagulation (APC) is widely used as an additional method to control bleeding or ablate the residual tumor. However, the efficacy of this procedure has not yet been fully evaluated. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of APC as an additional method to ESP.

METHODS

Patients who underwent ESP for ampullary adenoma between September 2005 and September 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Using propensity score matching, we compared short- and long-term outcomes between the ESP-with-additional-APC group (ESP + APC group) and the ESP-only group. Primary outcome was early post-ESP adverse events (AE), and secondary outcomes were late AE and recurrence.

RESULTS

Among 109 patients, additional APC was carried out in 59 (54.1%) patients. After matching, 41 patients were included in both groups, respectively. Bleeding rate was significantly lower in the ESP + APC group than in the ESP-only group (7.3% vs 31.7%, odds ratio = 0.180, P < 0.01). However, there were no significant differences in other procedure-related early AE such as pancreatitis (12.2% vs 19.5%, P = 0.365), cholangitis (2.4% vs 9.8%, P = 0.198), and perforation (2.4% vs 2.4%, P = 1.000) between the ESP + APC group and the ESP-only group. During the follow-up period (mean 904 ± 868 days), papillary stricture (9.8% vs 4.9%, P = 0.405) and recurrence rates (24.4% vs 24.4%, P = 0.797) were not significantly different between the ESP + APC group and the ESP-only group.

CONCLUSION

Additional APC during ESP may have a beneficial effect by decreasing bleeding rate without harmful effects.

Endoscopic ampullectomy: a technical review

BACKGROUND AND AIM

This article provides a practical review to undertaking safe endoscopic ampullectomy and highlights some of the common difficulties with this technique as well as offering strategies to deal with these challenges.

METHODS

We conducted a review of studies regarding endoscopic ampullectomy for ampullary neoplasms with special focus on techniques.

RESULTS

Accurate preoperative diagnosis and staging of ampullary tumors is imperative for predicting prognosis and determining the most appropriate therapeutic approach. The optimal technique for endoscopic ampullectomy is dependent on the lesions size. En bloc resection is recommended for lesions confined to the papilla. There is no significant evidence to support the submucosal injection before ampullectomy. There is no consensus regarding the optimal current and power output for endoscopic ampulectomy. The benefits of a thermal adjunctive therapy remain controversial. A prophylactic pancreatic stent reduces the incidence and severity of pancreatitis post-ampullectomy.

CONCLUSIONS

Endoscopic ampullectomy is a safe and efficacious therapeutic procedure for papillary adenomas in experienced endoscopist and it can avoid the need for surgical intervention.

Complications of ERCP

Even though considered safe, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is among the endoscopic procedures associated with the highest rate of complications. Post ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) is the most common complication of ERCP. Several independent risk factors have been associated with PEP. Prophylactic PD stenting has been shown to be highly effective in preventing PEP. More recent studies have suggested that NSAIDs, especially rectal indomethacin, could by itself be effective in preventing PEP. However, head to head RCTs comparing PD stents with NSAIDs would be required to confirm this. Other complications include ERCP induced bleeding, perforation, and cholangitis. Bleeding is related to morphological, procedural, and patient related factors. Early identification and correction of the risk factors are of paramount importance in preventing bleeding. Risk of infection is particularly high during ERCP. It is important to ensure complete drainage of obstructed biliary system in order to reduce the risk of post-ERCP cholangitis.

[Endoscopic Duodenal Snare Papillectomy Induced Complication: Prevention and Management]

Tumors of the major duodenal papilla are being recognized more often because of the increased use of diagnostic upper endoscopy and ERCP. The standard of management for ampullary tumor is local surgical excision or pancreaticoduodenectomy, but these procedures are associated with significant mortality, as well as post-operative and long-term morbidity. Endoscopic snare papillectomy was introduced as an alternative to surgery, but post-procedure complications are serious drawback. The most serious complications are perforation, delayed bleeding and pancreatitis. Identification of high risk patients, early recognition of complications, and aggressive management abates frequency and severity. Prevention and management of endoscopic duodenal papillectomy-induced complications will be reviewed in this article.

A case of carcinoma in an adenoma of the duodenal minor papilla successfully treated with endoscopic mucosal resection

Endoscopic papillectomy is currently used to treat noninvasive tumors of the papilla of Vater, but it is seldom reported for treatment of similar tumors of the minor papilla. This report describes the case of a 69-year-old female with a tumor located at the duodenal minor papilla. Findings of duodenoscopy, biopsy, and pancreatography indicated that her noninvasive tumor of the minor papilla was suitable for treatment with endoscopic resection. Glycerol-injected endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) was performed, and the resected material histologically showed carcinoma in the adenoma, negative for neoplastic extension at the cut margin. No complications occurred during the treatment course, and no recurrence has been recognized for 80 months. Unlike the major papilla of Vater, the minor papilla can be lifted up by submucosal injection. Noninvasive epithelial tumors of the duodenal minor papilla without extension to the pancreatic duct can be successfully treated with EMR, as the technique is easy, it is minimally invasive, and it is curative.

Endoscopic management of adenomatous ampullary lesions

Lesions of the ampulla of Vater represent an uncommon group of gastrointestinal malignancies. The majority of lesions of the ampulla of Vater are either adenomas or adenocarcinomas. Ampullary lesions are often incidental findings. Accurate preoperative diagnosis and staging of ampullary tumors is imperative for predicting prognosis and determining the most appropriate therapeutic approach. Endoscopic ampullectomy is a safe and efficacious therapeutic procedure that can obviate the need for potentially major surgical intervention. This review will provide the framework for the diagnosis and management of ampullary lesions from the perspective of the practicing gastroenterologist. Strategies for safe and successful endoscopic ampullectomy with a focus on accurate preoperative diagnosis and staging, resection technique, and management of complications are presented.

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.

Advances in diagnostic endoscopy for duodenal, including ampullary, adenoma

Currently, the strategy for real-time endoscopic diagnosis of duodenal, including ampullary, adenoma is still unclear. In the era of high-definition and magnification endoscopy, using this modality for the detection and diagnosis of these neoplasms is very challenging for endoscopists. Over the past 10 years, many instruments have been developed to improve the detection rate of duodenal and ampullary polyps and to distinguish between adenoma and non-adenoma. The present review will focus on these novel methods and their usefulness in the diagnosis of ampullary and non-ampullary adenoma.

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.

Review of the investigation and surgical management of resectable ampullary adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Ampullary adenocarcinoma is considered to have a better prognosis than either pancreatic or bile duct adenocarcinoma. Pancreaticoduodenectomy is associated with significant mortality and morbidity. Some recent publications have advocated the use of endoscopic papillectomy for the treatment of early ampullary adenocarcinoma. This article reviews investigations and surgical treatment options of ampullary tumours.

METHODS

A systematic review of English-language articles was carried out using an electronic search of the Ovid MEDLINE (from 1996 onwards), PubMed and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews databases to identify studies related to the investigation and management of ampullary tumours.

RESULTS

Distinguishing between ampullary adenoma and adenocarcinoma is challenging given the inaccuracy of endoscopic biopsy, for which high false negative rates of 25-50% have been reported. Endoscopic ultrasound is the most accurate method for local staging of ampullary lesions, but distinguishing between T1 and T2 adenocarcinomas is difficult. Lymph node metastasis occurs early in the disease process; it is lowest for T1 tumours, but the risk is still high at 8-45%. Case reports of successful endoscopic resection and transduodenal ampullectomy of T1 adenocarcinomas have been published, but their duration of follow-up is limited.

CONCLUSIONS

Optimal staging should be used to distinguish between ampullary adenoma and adenocarcinoma. Pancreaticoduodenectomy remains the treatment of choice for all ampullary adenocarcinomas.

Endoscopic diagnosis and management of ampullary lesions

Most (>95%) ampullary lesions are adenomas or adenocarcinomas. Side viewing endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography are complementary procedures that have an important role in the diagnosis, staging, and treatment of ampullary lesions. Here the authors review their epidemiology and discuss the evidence for endoscopic modalities, with an emphasis on techniques for endoscopic resection. Although endoscopic papillectomy represents one of the highest-risk endoscopic interventions, it has largely replaced surgical modalities for the treatment of adenomatous lesions. Appropriate patient selection and use of preventive maneuvers will minimize the likelihood of persistent or recurrent lesions and postprocedure complications.

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.

Endoscopic ampullectomy: a practical guide

Endoscopic ampullectomy is a minimally invasive method of treating superficial lesions of the ampulla of Vater. With careful patient selection and lesion assessment it is a safe and efficacious therapeutic procedure that can obviate the need for potentially major surgical intervention. Strategies for safe and successful endoscopic ampullectomy with a focus on resection technique and recognition and management of complications are presented.

Endoscopic ampullectomy: techniques and outcomes

Advances in endoscopic ampullectomy continue to mitigate concerns regarding incomplete removal of ampullary neoplasias, postprocedure complications, and insufficient treatment of tumors with undetected malignant foci or intraductal invasion. Advanced T staging of these lesions with endoscopic ultrasound and intraductal ultrasound, while useful tools for selection of candidates for snare polypectomy, should be limited to lesions either greater than 3 cm, bearing the macroscopic appearance of malignancy or unamenable to endoscopic therapy. Intraductal ultrasound has demonstrated T-staging accuracy superior to endoscopic ultrasound. One prospective study of prophylactic pancreatic stent placement and a number of retrospective studies have reported reduced complication rates. Recent studies continue to propose follow-up endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography at 3-month intervals after ampullectomy to evaluate for recurrence and ablate residual tissue, with the interval increased to 6 to 12 months for 5 years on obtaining negative biopsies for adenomatous tissue. The development of thermal ablation, notably argon plasma coagulation, for fulguration of residual unresectable tumor, biductal sphincterotomy and prophylactic pancreatic pancreatic stent placement, and advanced diagnostic imaging mitigate the concerns leveled against endoscopic ampullectomy. In experienced hands, endoscopic papillectomy of noninvasive, benign ampullary lesions is a safe, technically feasible, and effective alternative to surgical resection. This study will focus on diagnosis and staging of ampullary adenomas and reviews indications for, and outcomes and complications of, endoscopic papillectomy.