Abstract

Background
/Aims: This study analyzed the factors associated with the yield of percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopic biopsies in patients with bile duct cancer. Methods: One hundred and sixteen patients who had received percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy and who had been confirmed as having bile duct cancer were enrolled in this study. Results: When the location of the tumor was divided into intrahepatic (IHD), hilar and common bile duct, the biopsy yield was significantly higher in IHD cancer (93.7%) than in cases of hilar cancer (69.6%) (p<0,05). After a bile duct cancer had been classified as a nodular (n=31), papillary (n=27) or infiltrative type (n=58) upon cholangioscopic findings, the biopsy yields from nodular (96.8%) or papillary types (96,3%) were significantly higher than from infiltrative types (58.6%; p<0.01). However, cholangioscopic classification of bile duct cancer was the only independent factor affecting biopsy yield by multiple logistic regression analysis (p=0,001). The sensitivity of the combination of cholangioscopic biopsy and tumor vessel in overall bile duct cancer, especially in the infiltrative type, was significantly increased when it was compared with that for cholangioscopic biopsies (p<0.01) or for tumor vessels alone (p<0,01). Conclusions: The cholangioscopic classification of bile duct tumors might provide important clues to predict biopsy yield. (Korean J Gastrointest Endosc 2001;22:146 - 151)

• Keywords: Cholangioscopy, Bile duct cancer, Biopsy yield