Published online Mar 15, 2018. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v10.i3.91
Peer-review started: December 5, 2017
First decision: January 3, 2018
Revised: January 9, 2018
Accepted: February 3, 2018
Article in press: February 3, 2018
Published online: March 15, 2018
Processing time: 98 Days and 20.2 Hours
Endoscopic transpapillary brush cytology and forceps biopsy during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatology are generally used to obtain pathological evidence of biliary strictures. Recently, the new endoscopic scraper Trefle® has been reported and demonstrated high cancer detectability in malignant biliary strictures. This device is used to scrape the stricture over the guidewire, and, in the original method, the tissue and/or cell samples obtained are subjected to histological and/or cytological analysis separately. However, discrimination of chunks of tissue is hampered by the opacity of the surrounding fluid. We have developed a cell block technique for the Trefle® device without dividing obtained specimens into tissue and cellular components, which is the simplest method and enables immunohistochemical analysis. We present a case of obstructive jaundice diagnosed immunohistochemically as pancreatic metastasis from colon cancer using cell block sections obtained with the Trefle® device, which procedure is as easy as conventional brush cytology.
Core tip: We described a case of pancreatic metastasis from colon cancer in which cell block technique with the specimens obtained by the new endoscopic device Trefle® was useful in the differential diagnosis from pancreatic cancer. The combination of cell block technique and Trefle® might be a promising method in the diagnosis of biliary strictures because this procedure is as easy as conventional brush cytology.