Abstract
Background Single-operator cholangioscopy (SOC) provides an accurate diagnosis of indeterminate
pancreaticobiliary strictures. However, the procedure is expensive and can be performed
using only limited accessories. Therefore, we devised a novel tube-assisted biopsy
(TAB) technique and evaluated its feasibility, diagnostic yield, and safety for indeterminate
pancreaticobiliary strictures.
Methods The medical records of patients with indeterminate pancreaticobiliary strictures
who underwent TAB between September 2018 and July 2019 were reviewed. We assessed
the technical success rate, adverse event rate, sensitivity, specificity, and overall
accuracy of TAB in differentiating malignant from benign lesions.
Results TABs were performed in 16 patients: 12 had biliary strictures; four had pancreatic
strictures. The technical success rate was 93.7 % (15/16), and the sensitivity, specificity,
and overall accuracy of TAB were 87.5 %, 100 %, and 93.7 %, respectively. No serious
adverse events occurred either during or after the procedure in any of the patients.
Conclusions TAB has an acceptable accuracy for the diagnosis of indeterminate pancreaticobiliary
strictures and may represent a useful diagnostic method in patients where SOC cannot
be implemented.
