Contrast radiography has given way to endoscopy for the evaluation of the upper gastrointestinal tract, the small bowel, and the colon. The pancreaticobiliary ductal system has remained the one area in which gastroenterologists depend heavily on contrast-enhanced fluoroscopy. The concept of entering the ducts with an endoscope is certainly not new; peroral cholangiopancreatoscopy has been possible for decades. The discipline has been enjoying a resurgence of interest, however, as the equipment has become increasingly miniaturized, maneuverable, and manageable. Furthermore, new diagnostic technologies and therapeutic accessories have been developed for intraductal applications that have widely expanded capabilities. This issue of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Clinics of North America focuses on these advances in intraductal endoscopy that are allowing exploration of one of the last endoscopic frontiers.
展开▼
