BACKGROUND/AIMS: There is increasing interest in the detection of malignancy by autofluorescence endoscopy. This is the first report on autofluorescence endoscopy in bile duct cancer. METHODOLOGY: Nine patients with bile duct cancer underwent percutaneous transhepatic autofluorescence cholangioscopy using light-induced fluorescence endoscopy in the gastrointestinal tract (LIFE-GI) system. RESULTS: The cancerous lesion had quite a different color in comparison with normal mucosa, which was seen as light blue, by the autofluorescence endoscopy. In all patients, cancerous legions were observed as dark red. Additionally, in 7 of the 9 cases a white fluorescence was also seen in the cancerous lesion. CONCLUSIONS: In previous reports on the gastrointestinal tract and bronchial tree, cancerous lesions appeared dark red when examined by autofluorescence endoscopy. In our study, it is suggested that a white fluorescence is also an important finding for making diagnosis of bile duct cancer by the autofluorescence endoscopy.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: There is increasing interest in the detection of malignancy by autofluorescence endoscopy. This is the first report on autofluorescence endoscopy in bile duct cancer. METHODOLOGY: Nine patients with bile duct cancer underwent percutaneous transhepatic autofluorescence cholangioscopy using light-induced fluorescence endoscopy in the gastrointestinal tract (LIFE-GI) system. RESULTS: The cancerous lesion had quite a different color in comparison with normal mucosa, which was seen as light blue, by the autofluorescence endoscopy. In all patients, cancerous legions were observed as dark red. Additionally, in 7 of the 9 cases a white fluorescence was also seen in the cancerous lesion. CONCLUSIONS: In previous reports on the gastrointestinal tract and bronchial tree, cancerous lesions appeared dark red when examined by autofluorescence endoscopy. In our study, it is suggested that a white fluorescence is also an important finding for making diagnosis of bile duct cancer by the autofluorescence endoscopy.