DBE-ERCP is an alternative method for diagnostic as well as therapeutic interventions in the biliary as well pancreatic system in the operated patient. However, it should be limited to selected patients, e.g., with contraindications for PTC, as it is a time-consuming as well as a cost-intensive procedure.

The life expectancy of unresectable hilar cholangiocellular carcinomas (CCCs) is very limited and endoscopic radiofrequency ablation (ERFA) of the biliary tract may prolong survival. Our single-center-study retrospectively analysed all CCC cases, in whom ERFAs of the biliary tract were performed between 2012 and 2017 and compared these to historical control cases who received the standard treatment of sole stent application. ERFA was performed in 32 patients with malignant biliary strictures that were mainly caused by Bismuth III and IV hilar CCCs (66%). 14 of these patients received repeated ERFAs, for an overall performance of 54 ERFAs. Stents were applied after examination of all patients (100%). Adverse events occurred in 18.5% of examinations. Case-control analysis revealed that the survival time of cases with unresectable Bismuth type III and IV hilar CCCs (n = 20) treated with combined ERFA and stent application significantly increased compared to controls (n = 22) treated with sole stent application (342 +/− 57 vs. 221 +/− 26 days; p = 0.046). In conclusion, ERFA therapy significantly prolonged survival in patients with unresectable Bismuth type III and IV hilar CCC. As an effective and safe method, ERFA should be considered as a palliative treatment for all these patients.

Detection rates of the strictures were not significantly different between (18) FDG-PET/CT, MR-enteroclysis, and ultrasound. Despite good stricture detection rates relating to our gold standard, (18) FDG-PET/CT nor MR-enteroclysis nor ultrasound can accurately differentiate inflamed from fibrotic strictures. A combination of MR-enteroclysis and ultrasound as well as a combination of (18) FDG-PET/CT and ultrasound resulted in a 100% detection rate of strictures requiring surgery or endoscopic dilation therapy, suggesting the combination of these methods as an alternative to endoscopy at least in the group of patients not able to perform an adequate bowel preparation.

BACKGROUND Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver (UESL), a rare tumor that predominantly affects children, generally has been considered an aggressive neoplasm with an unfavorable prognosis. More recent reports have indicated that modern multimodal treatment and supportive care improve the survival of children with UESL. Data regarding the treatment and survival of adults have not been reviewed comprehensively, and only a few adult patients with UESL have been reported in the literature. METHODS The authors analyzed demographics, treatment, and actuarial survival of all reported cases of UESL in patients aged ≥15 years (n = 67 patients). In addition, 1 case is presented of a patient with UESL who was treated successfully at the authors' institution. RESULTS The median survival of all patients with UESL who were analyzed was 29 months. Patients who underwent complete tumor resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy survived over a median follow‐up of 28.5 months and had significantly better survival compared with patients who underwent surgical treatment alone. Patients who underwent an incomplete tumor resection had a tendency toward poorer outcomes. CONCLUSIONS To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate a significant effect on survival for adjuvant chemotherapy after complete surgical resection of UESL in adults. The role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy was not evaluated in this study. In the case study presented herein, combined therapy with surgery and chemotherapy led to a complete, sustained remission that has lasted for >6 years to date. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.

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Endocuff-assisted colonoscopy showed good procedural success rates in terms of cecal intubation rate and time, and a promising adenoma detection rate. Endocuff seems to improve endoscope tip control, especially during polypectomy. Endocuff may be a useful device for colorectal adenoma screening, and should be investigated in larger trials.

Background: Digital single-operator cholangioscopes (digital SOCs), equipped with an improved image quality, have been recently introduced. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and diagnostic and therapeutic efficacy of digital SOCs (Spyglass TM DS). Methods: Sixty-seven digital SOC procedures performed between 2015 and 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The most frequent indications for examination were indeterminate biliary strictures (61.2%) and biliary stone disease (23.9%). In 25 patients (37.3), visual findings predicted malignancy with a sensitivity of 88.9%, a specificity of 97.6%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 96.0% and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 92.9%. For histological analysis, forceps biopsies were performed in 29 patients (43.2%). Compared with visual findings, forceps biopsies yield a lower diagnostic efficacy in diagnosing malignancy (sensitivity 62.5%, specificity 90.0%, PPV 90.9%, NPV 60.0%). Therapeutic interventions were performed in 19 patients with a technical success rate of 89.4%. Adverse events were observed in 17 patients (25.4%). Of these, 11 patients (16.4%) suffered from severe adverse events (pancreatitis, cholangitis or major bleeding), which led to a prolonged hospital stay. Conclusion: Digital SOCs have excellent diagnostic and therapeutic efficacies, but are accompanied by high rates of adverse events; therefore, physicians should use digital SOCs in carefully selected cases. KeywordsCholangioscopy, SpyGlass DS, adverse events, digital single-operator cholangioscopy, indeterminate biliary strictures, complex biliary stone disease Received: 25 November 2017; accepted: 12 February 2018 Key summaryEstablished knowledge:. Digital single-operator cholangioscopes (digital SOCs) have been recently introduced. New findings:. Digital SOCs have an excellent diagnostic accuracy for biliary tract diseases and a high efficacy for therapeutic interventions including treatment of complex biliary stone disease and biliary strictures. . Our results suggest a high incidence (16.4%) of severe adverse events associated with the examination, which is why digital SOCs should only be used in carefully selected cases.

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic remittent idiopathic disease. Although the early phase of the disease is commonly characterized by inflammation-driven symptoms, such as diarrhea, the frequency of fibrostenotic complications in patients with CD increases over the long-term course of the disease. This review presents the current diagnostic options for assessing CD-associated strictures. In addition to the endoscopic evaluation of CD strictures, this review summarizes the currently available imaging modalities, including ultrasound and cross-sectional imaging techniques. In addition to stricture detection, differentiating between the primarily inflammatory strictures and the predominantly fibrotic ones is essential for selecting the appropriate treatment strategy (anti-inflammatory medical treatment vs endoscopical or surgical approaches). Therefore, recent imaging advances, such as contrast-enhanced ultrasound and ultrasound elastography, contribute to the development of non-invasive non-radiating imaging of CD-associated strictures. Finally, novel magnetic resonance imaging techniques, such as diffusion-weighted, motility and magnetization transfer imaging, as well as (18)F-FDG PET/CT, molecular imaging approaches and biomarkers, are critically reviewed with regard to their potential role in assessing stricturing CD.