Endoscopy for Biliary Disease Continues to Advance

Endoscopic management of biliary disease, benign and malignant, has become widely available throughout the world. The major pillar of endoscopy for biliary disease is endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), in which the papilla of Vater is identified with a duodenoscope and a flexible cannula is directed into the bile duct to inject radiographic contrast dye to visualize the biliary system. The first ERCP was performed by Dr William McCune in 1968. In 1972, Dr Peter Cotton in England published his experience with 60 diagnostic ERCP procedures, and in 1973, Dr Keiichi Kawai in Japan and Dr Meinhard Classen in Germany independently carried out biliary sphincterotomy, allowing endoscopic instruments to be passed into the biliary system for therapy.
Source: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Clinics of North America - Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Tags: Foreword Source Type: research