Clinical Research Directory

Single-operator Digital Cholangioscopy for the Diagnosis of Malignant and Benign Biliary Strictures

Differentiation between malignant and benign biliary strictures can be challenging. Accurate differentiation of malignant biliary strictures from benign ones is crucial to guide management decisions. While conventional tissue acquisition techniques such as brush cytology or intraductal biopsy of the biliary stricture is often performed during ERCP for tissue diagnosis, their sensitivities are suboptimal. The average sensitivities for brush cytology and intraductal biopsy were reported to be \~ 59% and \~ 63% respectively. When the cause of a biliary stricture remains unclear despite conventional ERCP techniques for diagnosis, cholangioscopy is often performed during ERCP to clarify the diagnosis. This allows an endoscopist to obtain a visual impression (VI) and to perform targeted biopsy under direct visualization of the biliary stricture. Recently, a digital SOC system (SpyGlass Digital System (SpyGlass DS), Boston Scientific, USA) has become available and has the potential to further improve the diagnosis of malignant and benign biliary strictures. The utility of this digital SOC in the evaluation of biliary strictures has not been well studied. We propose this study to evaluate the utility of the digital SOC during ERCP in the diagnosis of malignant and benign biliary strictures.

Endoscopic Management of Non-anastomotic Biliary Strictures Following Liver Transplantation.

The study will evaluate the results of endoscopic treatment of NON-anastomotic biliary strictures following liver transplantation

Percutaneous Cholangiopancreatoscopy Registry

The Percutaneous Cholangiopancreatoscopy (PCPS) registry is an observational, multicentric, prospective, and retrospective registry of patients undergoing the percutaneous cholangiopancreatoscopy procedure at sites across the United States. In the retrospective component of the study, clinical and procedural data regarding patients who have undergone clinical indicated percutaneous cholangiopancreatoscopy procedure in the past will be collected from all the registry sites and stored in a secure database. The prospective component of the registry will run for three years at each site where patients undergoing the clinically indicated percutaneous cholangiopancreatoscopy procedure will be enrolled in the study, and the patients' data will be collected whenever the patients present to interventional radiology (IR) for a procedure or clinic visit.

Pre-cut Versus Intentional Double Guidewire for ERCP Cannulation: Prospective, Randomized Controlled Trial

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is an indispensable therapeutic procedure in the management of a wide spectrum of pancreaticobiliary disorders, including choledocholithiasis, benign and malignant biliary strictures, pancreatic ductal obstructions, and postoperative bile leaks. The procedure has revolutionized the management of these conditions, often obviating the need for surgery.Precut papillotomy and Double Guidewire Technique (DGT) are both salvage techniques used in ERCP when standard biliary cannulation fails. Precut (Needle-Knife Precut): An endoscopic incision made into the papilla to gain access to the bile duct when conventional methods fail. Intentional Double Guidewire Technique (DGT): A technique where a guidewire is intentionally placed into the pancreatic duct to act as a "guide" or anchor, straightening the biliary axis and allowing a second guidewire to be inserted into the bile duct.

Spanish Registry of Direct Cholangiopancreatoscopy by Single Operator

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) remain fundamental tools for the diagnosis and treatment of many pancreatobiliary diseases. However, there are situations in which these procedures face limitations, such as the evaluation of indeterminate ductal strictures or the management of complex choledocholithiasis. Direct visualization of the biliary and pancreatic ducts has proven to be a useful and effective alternative in such cases. It also has a safety profile comparable to conventional ERCP, with only a slight increase in the incidence of adverse events. Nevertheless, due to the associated increase in costs, most centers have adopted a stepwise approach in their diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms, using this technique only after multiple ERCPs. Although the evidence is still limited, recent studies suggest that early use of direct cholangiopancreatoscopy could be a cost-effective strategy due to its increased efficacy. In this regard, collecting data on direct cholangiopancreatoscopy would be of interest to generate robust conclusions on cost-effectiveness in routine clinical practice. This study aims to objectively assess the real-world use of direct cholangiopancreatoscopy in our setting, with the goal of confirming technical aspects, efficacy, and safety, and ultimately conducting cost-effectiveness evaluations to determine the optimal point in the algorithm at which this technique should be introduced.

Raman Spectroscopy in the Diagnosis of Extrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma - a Pilot Study

Diagnosis of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is challenging because the yield of imaging and tissue sampling is limited. Raman spectroscopy is an optical method based on the analysis of scattered monochromatic light. Raman spectroscopy is able to provide a molecular 'fingerprint' of the tissue to determine its type. The aim of this pilot study was to develop a methodology for in vivo Raman spectroscopy in bile ducts to improve the current diagnostic capabilities of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Evaluation of diagnostiC Capacity of eccDNAs as Biomarkers in Indetermined biLiary Stricture(ECCBILE)

Biliary stricture is mainly malignant in the adults and caused by several types of fatal malignancies such as pancreatic cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, and metastatic tumor, which have poor prognosis that the overall survival of unresectable lesions is no more than 15 months. The poor outcome often relates to a lack of reliable strategies for early diagnosis, which results in most patients with malignant biliary stricture being already advanced-stage disease at presentation. Therefore, it is critical to discover novel and effective strategies for the early diagnosis of malignant biliary strictures. Brush cytology and biopsy during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) are the main methods for recognizing malignant diseases of the bile duct, but their sensitivity is relatively low, 45% and 48.1%, respectively. Even when combined with other biomarkers like carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), their sensitivity is still less than 80%. In the previous study, the investigators found that bcf-eccDNA has excellent diagnostic value in predicting uncertain bile duct stricture, and the sensitivity and specificity of a related eccDNA in 40 samples are 80.8% and 100%. The sensitivity and specificity of another eccDNA were 92.3% and 92.9%, respectively. However, the sample size is still relatively small, and further prospective studies are needed to evaluate its diagnostic efficacy.

Real-Time Cholangioscopy Artificial Intelligence Evaluation of Biliary Strictures

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility and validity of a previously developed peroral cholangioscopy (POC) convolutional neural network (CNN) to determine the etiology of biliary strictures when used in real-time.

Diagnosis and Percutaneous Treatment of Biliary Tract Diseases

This study aims to implement and optimize the treatment of bile duct diseases in participants not eligible for endoscopic treatment using the Spyglass system, a system suitable for diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures in the pancreatic-biliary system, including the hepatic ducts. The main question it aims to answer is: \- Can the percutaneous cholangioscopic assisted technique resolve the biliary litiasis and/or perform endobiliary biopsies in less time than the traditional technique? Participants will undergo a colangioscopic-assisted treatment using the SpyGlass mini-endoscopic system at the Addomino-pelvic diagnostic and interventional radiology UOC of the Bologna University Hospital.

Prospective Evaluation of Biliary Tissue Sampling with ERCP

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety, outcomes and performance characteristics of multiple biliary sampling techniques including but not limited to: single operator cholangioscopy (SOC) directed biopsies, transpapillary biliary biopsies (TPBx), brushings and bile aspiration for cytology and FISH in patients undergoing ERCP.

Evaluation of the Use of a Biodegradable Endoprothesis in the Prevention of Post-Endoscopic Retrograde CholoangioPancreatography Pancreatitis

The use of an endoprothesis in a pancreatic duct is a measure to minimize the incidence and severity of Post-Endoscopic Retrograde CholoangioPancreatography Pancreatitis. In this study we will evaluate the use of a Biodegradable Endoprothesis: Archimede Fast Biodegradable Pancreatic Stent in patients with high risk of Post-Endoscopic Retrograde CholoangioPancreatography Pancreatitis.The ARCHIMEDES Fast biodegradable pancreatic stent will be placed during the Endoscopic Retrograde CholoangioPancreatography. The efficacy and the security of the device will be evaluated.

Digital Single-operator Cholangioscopy and Intraductal Ultrasound for Nonicteric Biliary Strictures

This study aims to evaluate the usefulness of disposable digital single-operator cholangioscopy (SOC) and intraductal ultrasound (IDUS) for the accurate diagnosis of indeterminate biliary stricture.