Dr. Petersen uses new technology to see inside the bile duct for tumors, stones or biopsies
October 25, 2010Borland-Groover Clinic gastroenterologist John Petersen, DO, is one of only a few gastroenterologists in the United States using SpyGlass technology to look inside the common bile duct and pancreatic duct to diagnose and treat benign and malignant disorders, including pancreatic cancer. “Strictures (narrowing) and cancer of these ducts can be viewed and biopsied directly,” says Dr. Petersen.
The SpyGlass is done at the same time as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), which is performed in the Baptist Center for Endoscopy. ERCP combines endoscopy and fluoroscopy to diagnose and treat conditions of the biliary or pancreatic ductal systems. During ERCP, the gastroenterologist uses to endoscope to see the inside of the stomach and duodenum, and injects dyes into the ducts in the biliary tree and pancreas so they can be seen on x-rays.
The SpyGlass allows direct vision inside the bile and pancreatic ducts in concert with ERCP to ensure the most accurate diagnosis. “In my study, I was able to change a benign diagnosis to a malignant one in a number of questionable cases,” says Dr. Petersen.
In addition to being a diagnostic tool, SpyGlass allows Dr. Petersen to apply lithotripsy to break up large bile duct stone(s) immediately after diagnosis, without requiring two different procedures.
Dr. Petersen, who will be presenting his first 25 cases of SpyGlass cholangioscopy at the American College of Gastroenterology national meeting in San Antonio, Texas, has one of the largest collections of SpyGlass procedures in a community-based hospital in the United States. “The procedure is done in only a handful of centers in Florida,” says Dr. Petersen.
