Endoscopic management of benign biliary strictures:Looking for the best stent to place

Benign biliary strictures(BBS)might occur due to different pancreaticobiliary conditions.The etiology and location of biliary strictures are responsible of a wide array of clinical manifestations.The endoscopic approach endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography represents the first-line treatment for BBS,considering interventional radiology and surgery when endoscopic treatment fails or it is not suitable.The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of possible endoscopic treatments for the optimal management of this subset of patients.

Still elusive: Developments in the accurate diagnosis of indeterminate biliary strictures

Indeterminate biliary strictures pose a significant diagnostic dilemma for gastroenterologists.Despite advances in endoscopic techniques and instruments,it is difficult to differentiate between benign and malignant pathology.A positive histological diagnosis is always preferred prior to high risk hepatobiliary surgery,or to inform other types of therapy.Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreato-graphy with brushings has low sensitivity and despite significant improvements in instruments there is still an unacceptably high false negative rate.Other methods such as endoscopic ultrasound and cholangioscopy have improved diagnostic quality.In this review we explore the techniques available to aid accurate diagnosis of indeterminate biliary strictures and obtain accurate hist-ology to facilitate clinical management.