INTRAHEPATIC BILIARY ENDOSCOPY IN SCLEROSING CHOLANGITIS

Sclerosing cholangitis is usually diagnosed by clinical findings coupl ed with radiographic imaging of the bile ducts by ERCP. Direct imaging of both the intra- and extrahepatic biliary tree provides an opportun ity to further study this disorder and its potential complications suc h as biliary malignancy. However, endoscopic visualization of the intr ahepatic bile ducts in sclerosing cholangitis is potentially limited b y the size of available cholangioscopes and the presence of strictures , Below, we report our initial results using a 0.8-mm fiberoptic endos cope placed through a partially steerable 1.8-mm guide catheter. The s ystem allows visualization of the intrahepatic biliary tree beyond are as of stricture in the more distal ducts.