Assessing the diagnostic yield of controllable biopsy-forceps for biliary strictures.

OBJECTIVE: Biliary forceps biopsies are essential for differentially diagnosing biliary strictures and evaluating the preoperative superficial intraductal spread of bile duct cancers; however, these biopsies are technically demanding and time consuming. Using controllable biopsy-forceps (C-BF), which enable the tip's angle to be adjusted by up to 90°, may facilitate the procedure and improve the diagnostic yield for biliary biopsies. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of C-BF associated with the diagnosis of biliary strictures.

MATERIALS AND METHOD: Between 2009 and 2015, 110 patients with biliary strictures underwent biliary biopsies using C-BF. We retrospectively evaluated the diagnostic yield of C-BF for biliary strictures and determined the success rate associated with obtaining adequate samples during mapping biopsies to evaluate the superficial intraductal tumor spread.

RESULTS: The technical success rate for biliary biopsies using C-BF was 99% (109/110). The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the diagnoses of biliary strictures were 60% (46/77), 100% (33/33) and 72% (79/110), respectively. Regarding the mapping biopsy procedures, adequate samples were successfully obtained from 96% (22/23), 92% (11/12), 80% (12/15), 75% (9/12) and 31% (5/16) of the intrapancreatic common bile ducts, upper common bile ducts, confluences of the hepatic ducts, right intrahepatic bile ducts and left intrahepatic bile ducts, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: C-BF may facilitate biliary cannulation and mapping biopsies of the common bile duct and the right intrahepatic bile duct. However, given that the diagnostic sensitivity was 60%, further modifications are expected and necessary to maximize the utility of the controllable mechanism.