A combination of endoscopic transpapillary brush cytology and forceps biopsy improves the diagnosis of proximal biliary malignancies- results of a prospective, comparative study

Background and study aims: Tissue specimen collection represents a cornerstone in diagnosis of proximal biliary tract malignancies offering great specificity, but only limited sensitivity. To improve the tumor detection rate, we developed a new method of forceps biopsy and compared it prospectively with endoscopic transpapillary brush cytology. Patients and methods: 29 patients with proximal biliary stenoses undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiography were prospectively recruited and subjected to both biopsy and transpapillary brush cytology. The cytological/histological findings were compared with the fina…