Screening for Hilar Biliary Invasion in Ampullary Cancer Patients

Background: The treatment for ampullary cancer is pancreatoduodenectomy or local ampullectomy. However, effective methods for the preoperative investigation of hilar biliary invasion in ampullary cancer patients have not yet been identified. In this study, we aimed to determine an appropriate method for investigating hilar biliary invasion of ampullary cancer.Methods: Among 43 ampullary cancer patients, 34 underwent endoscopic treatment (n = 9) or surgery (n = 25). Imaging findings (thickening and enhancement of the bile duct wall on contrast-enhanced CT (CECT), irregularity on endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC), thickening of the entire bile duct wall on intraductal ultrasonography (IDUS), and partial thickening of the bile duct wall on IDUS) and biliary biopsy results were compared with respect to their ability to diagnose hilar biliary invasion of ampullary cancer.Results: Hilar invasion was not observed in every patient. Among the patients who did not undergo biliary stent insertion, the combination of partial thickening of the bile duct wall on IDUS and biliary biopsy showed the highest accuracy (100%) for diagnosing biliary invasion. However, each imaging finding and biliary biopsy yielded some false positive results.Conclusions: Although some false positive results were obtained with each method, the combination of partial thickening of the bile duct wall on IDUS and biliary biopsy was useful for diagnosing hilar biliary invasion of ampullary cancer. However, hilar invasion of ampullary cancer is rare; therefore, the investigation of hilar biliary invasion of ampullary cancer might be unnecessary.Trial registration: not applicable

Improving the diagnostic yield of biliary stricture biopsies using a directional atherectomy device.

e16167 Background: Diagnosing the pathologic etiology of biliary strictures presents challenges that have been well-documented. Accuracy of traditional brushing and fine needle aspirate techniques range from 44% to 73%.2 Over the last 2 decades the use of atherectomy catheter biliary biopsy has demonstrated high sensitivity and positive predictive values with a low complication rate. This endoluminal approach allows for larger volume histologic samples, allowing for the potential to obtain adequate tissue for next generation sequencing (NGS). The aim of this retrospective review of a single-center’s experience was to define the accuracy, ease of evaluation, and the ability to obtain NGS for personalized treatment. Methods: A retrospective review was performed under a waiver from the Institutional Review Board. A search of medical records from 1/2016 to 2/2021 yielded 20 biopsies in 19 patients. The 20 biopsies were completed by 4 interventional radiologists with between 2-11 years of experience. All available samples were analysed by a pathologist with greater than 10 years of experience and graded for adequacy and feasibility of NGS. Results: The patient population was 53% female with average age of 65.1 years. 12/19 (63%) patients had prior non-atherectomy biopsy attempts. The average ease of evaluation score for the 19 biopsies was 7.8/9, compared to 6.2/9 for the brushing specimens obtained from a subset of the same patients. Seven biopsies were positive for malignancy, ten were benign and three were non-diagnostic. The 7 biopsies that rendered a definitive diagnosis of malignancy had an average ease of evaluation score 8.7/9. The overall accuracy rate was 78.9%, and 71% of malignant samples were deemed adequate for NGS. There were two biopsy related complications; one pseudoaneurysm treated with embolization and one biliary drain dislodgement. Conclusions: Biliary biopsy using an atherectomy device has similar accuracy to traditional techniques; however, it allows for improved diagnostic yield and increased tissue specimen with 71% of samples adequate for NGS testing.

Biliary involvement in liver metastases: long-term experience with biliary biopsy from a single center

Objective: To investigate long-term results of biliary biopsy performed with transluminal forceps in the setting of metastatic biliary involvement. Materials and Methods: Between September 2014 and June 2019, 25 patients-18 males (72%)-with a mean age of 65 ± 15 years, underwent 26 biliary biopsy procedures with a dedicated forceps system. All patients presented with obstructive jaundice that was suspected of being malignant and underwent pre-procedural magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography. The biopsies were performed during percutaneous placement of an internal-external biliary drainage catheter, under fluoroscopic guidance. Results: The technical success rate was 96% (corresponding to 25 of the 26 procedures). The histological diagnosis was inflammatory biliary stricture in five cases, pancreatic adenocarcinoma in six, liver metastases from colorectal cancer in eight, and hepatocellular carcinoma in three, the biliary mucosa being categorized as normal in three cases. In one case, the sample was considered insufficient and the procedure was successfully repeated, after which a diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma was made. Over a follow-up period of 6-48 months, there were five false-negative results: two findings of inflammatory biliary stricture were later identified as liver metastases from breast and gastric cancer, respectively; and all three patients in which the biliary mucosa was categorized as normal were subsequently diagnosed with metastatic hilar lymph nodes. The procedure was found to have a sensitivity of 77%, a specificity of 100%, and an overall accuracy of 80%. The complication rate was 11.5% (mild, transient hemobilia occurring in three cases). Conclusion: Percutaneous transluminal forceps biopsy is a safe, effective, minimally invasive procedure for histological characterization in patients presenting with obstructive jaundice due to a non-primary biliary tumor.

Diagnostische Güte der transluminalen Biopsie bei unklaren Gallenwegstenosen im Rahmen der primären PTCD-Anlage mit der „Cross and Push“-Technik – eine prospektive monozentrische Pilotstudie

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Bei Vorliegen einer Stenose der Gallenwege kann die histologische Charakterisierung für die weiteren Therapiemaßnahmen entscheidend sein. Nicht bei jedem Patienten ist ein Zugang zur Stenose mittels endoskopischer retrograder Cholangiografie (ERC) möglich. In diesen Fällen kann eine perkutane transhepatische Cholangiodrainage (PTCD) hilfreich sein. Die optimale Technik und die diagnostische Wertigkeit einer Biopsie im Rahmen der PTCD sind allerdings nicht hinreichend evaluiert. Methoden In einem Zeitraum von 24 Monaten wurde nach einer Trainingsphase von 10 Patienten bei insgesamt 30 Patienten mit Stenose der Gallenwege und fehlender adäquater Ableitungsmöglichkeit mittels ERC eine PTCD angelegt. Dabei wurde die Stenose mit einem Draht passiert und anschließend die gezielte Zangenbiopsie der Stenose unter Zuhilfenahme einer drahtgeführten Einführschleuse (7-Fr-Innendurchmesser) in einer „Cross and Push“-Technik (Transluminal Biliary Biopsy Forceps Set, Cook Medical™) durchgeführt. Das Ergebnis der histologischen Begutachtung der Biopsien wurde anschließend mit der definitiven Diagnose korreliert. Die Nachbeobachtungszeit betrug 18 Monate. Ergebnis Von insgesamt 30 Patienten wiesen 22 (73 %) eine maligne Stenose (10 Gallenwegneoplasien, 12 nichtbiliäre Karzinome/Metastasen/Lymphome) auf. Acht (27 %) der 30 Patienten hatten eine benigne Stenose. Bei allen 30 Patienten erbrachte die Biopsien ausreichendes Material zur histologischen Begutachtung. Die Subgruppenanalyse wurde für Gallenwegtumoren und nichtbiliäre Tumoren durchgeführt. Dabei wurde in 8 von 10 Patienten mit einer Gallenwegneoplasie die Stenose auch histologisch als maligne klassifiziert (Sensitivität 80 %), während dies nur in 8 von 12 nichtbiliären Tumoren gelang (Sensitivität 66,6 %, Unterschied n. s., p = 0,0577). Bei allen Patienten mit benigner Stenose zeigte sich auch in der histologischen Beurteilung der Biopsien ein benigner Befund (Spezifität 100 %). Interventionsbedingte Komplikationen traten nicht auf. Schlussfolgerung In dieser prospektiven Kohortenstudie weist das perkutane transduktale Biopsieset eine relative hohe diagnostische Genauigkeit zur Abklärung einer unklaren Gallengangsstenose – insbesondere bei biliären Prozessen – auf. Auch aufgrund der teils schwierigen anderweitigen Histologiegewinnung bei malignen Gallenwegprozessen ergänzt die „Cross and Push“-Biopsie das Spektrum der diagnostischen Verfahren.

The role of percutaneous transhepatic biliary biopsy in the diagnosis of patients with obstructive jaundice: an initial experience

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of percutaneous transhepatic biliary biopsy (PTBB) in patients with suspected biliary obstruction. Materials and methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 18 patients with obstructive jaundice who underwent PTBB. In each patient, three to ten fragments were collected from the lesion. The final diagnosis was confirmed in the pathology report. We also reviewed analyses of the results of laboratory tests performed before the procedure, as well as the Bismuth classification, clinical outcome, complications occurring during the procedure, access route, and materials used. Results: Technical success was achieved in 100% of the PTBB procedures. Among the 18 patients clinically diagnosed with bile duct stenosis, the pathological analysis confirmed that diagnosis in 17. In one case, the pathological findings were considered false-negative. The predominant tumor was cholangiocarcinoma (seen in 50% of the cases). Sixteen of the procedures (88.9%) were performed without complications. Transient hemobilia occurred in one case, and cholangitis occurred in another. Conclusion: PTBB is a safe, viable, simple technique with a high rate of true-positive results for the definitive diagnosis of obstructive jaundice.