Patients with a variety of systemic diseases may present with clinical indications of biliary tract disorders. This article describes a group of systemic conditions associated with bile duct abnormalities and…
The use of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for treating benign biliary strictures has become the standard of practice, with surgery and percutaneous therapy reserved for selected patients. The gold-standard endoscopic therapy…
Differentiating between malignant and benign bile duct strictures is often challenging. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with brush cytology and/or endobiliary forceps biopsy is routinely performed. Advanced cytologic methods such as fluorescence…
It is imperative for gastroenterologists to understand the different formations of bile duct stones and the various medical treatments available. To minimize the complications of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), it…
Miniature endoscopes that can be introduced into the bile duct through the duodenoscope during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography were developed to allow nonsurgical management of difficult biliary stones. The direct visualization…
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography allows intervention for a variety of diseases of the biliary tract. Cannulation of the bile duct is the prerequisite step for biliary intervention. Although obtaining biliary access…
Infection of the biliary tract, or cholangitis, is a potentially life-threatening condition. Bile duct stones are the most common cause of biliary obstruction predisposing to cholangitis. The key components in…
Advances in biliary imaging have improved making accurate diagnoses of the presence and causes of biliary obstruction. Abdominal ultrasound is a useful screening tool because it is highly specific for…
Jacques Van Dam, MD, PhD, Editor This time, something a little bit different. More often than not, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Clinics of North America focuses on a particular instrument or procedure….
Charles J. Lightdale, MD, Consulting Editor The biliary tract is subject to a multiplicity of ills spanning an incidence of common to rare. Imaging of the biliary system with ultrasound,…
