Endoscopic ultrasound-guided pancreatic cyst ablation

Pancreatic cystic neoplasms represent a wide spectrum of invariably benign to precancerous and malignant tumors. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided pancreatic cyst ablation with ethanol and/or paclitaxel offers a nonoperative treatment for patients refusing or not eligible for surgery. Histopathology after resection in these patients has shown variable degrees of cyst epithelial ablation ranging from 0% to 100%. Future research investigating the safety of this procedure, modifications of reported ablation techniques, choice and number of the lavage agents used, and criteria to optimize selection of the appropriate pancreatic cysts for treatment is needed.