Efficiency of the confocal method of laser endomicroscopy in complex diagnoses of diseases of common bile duct

One of the more frequent manifestations of diseases of the bile ducts are its' strictures or stenoses that could be of either malignant or benign nature. Current methods of diagnosing this pathology include computer tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). However, these methods are not always informative, which makes this a current and topical problem. A fundamentally new method that broadens the capabilities of ERCP when diagnosing diseases of the bile duct accompanied by the development of strictures or stenoses is probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE). The method is based on the principle of confocal fluorescence microscopy. The most elaborate complications arise with the presence of the pre-existing pancreatobiliary pathology: pseudotumoral chronic pancreatitis, acute cholangitis, etc. Early stage cholangiocarcinoma diagnosis can be difficult (and not always possible) even with the help of modern research methods. For the timely diagnostic it is advantageous to conduct pCLE and targeted biopsy of the zone with most manifested changes. In all instances, the first use of the pCLE method for diagnostic purposes allowed us to clarify and correctly verify the diagnosis. When concerning the diseases of the bile duct, the modern stage of pCLE development can be of critical importance when other methods are not effective.