[MINI-ENDOSCOPY OF THE BILIOPANCREATIC SYSTEM 1998]

Pancreaticoscopy is a method that is still in the midst of its development. The instruments available to date only allow inspection of proximally dilatated and extended ductal sections. Thanks to pancreaticoscopy, gastroenterological endoscopy has left the intestinal tract and achieved access to a glandular system with a unique histological wall structure. The extensive pathological anatomy of the pancreas makes intensive diagnostics desirable. Pancreaticoscopy should therefore be included in the diagnostic spectrum. However, this technique should always be performed with special circumspection, in particular with regard to the possible complications (acute pancreatitis) Ductal endoscopy of the bile duct and pancreatic duct are technically feasible and provide detailed evidence required for the diagnosis of diseases of the biliary and pancreatic system. The indications for cholangioscopy have, for the most part, been established, specifically therapeutic access to difficult gall stones. Pancreaticoscopy opens up new terrain in medical optics, although the relevance of this method, in conjunction with the outlay and technique required for its use, still have to find justification. The first prototypes for endoluminal sound have become available although this method is not expected to become a routine procedure in the near future.