Endoscopic management of malignant biliary stricture

Abstract

A biliary stricture is an area of narrowing in the extrahepatic or intrahepatic biliary system. The majority of biliary strictures are caused by malignancies, particularly cholangiocarcinoma and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Most malignant biliary strictures are unresectable at diagnosis. Treatment of these diseases historically required surgical procedures, however, the development of endoscopic techniques has provided alternative minimally invasive treatment options to improve patient quality of life and survival with unresectable disease. While endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with stent placement has been the cornerstone of biliary drainage for decades, cutting edge endoscopic developments, including radiofrequency ablation and endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage, offer new therapy options to patients that historically have a poor quality of life and a grim prognosis. In this review, we explore the endoscopic techniques that have contributed to revolutionary advancements in the endoscopic management of malignant biliary strictures.