Participants
extrahepatic biliary stricture, malignant stricture, pancreatitis, biliary stricture, biliary obstruction
BILIARY OBSTRUCTION, PANCREATITIS
All consecutive patients ≥ 18 years with a suspected malignant, extrahepatic biliary stricture who underwent ERCP and had an indication to obtain a cytological sample via biliary brush cytology were eligible for inclusion. Patients provided written informed consent prior to the procedure. Exclusion criteria were: Intrahepatic or hilar biliary obstruction (defined as biliary stricture located within 2 cm of the hilum), failed biliary cannulation, contraindication for sphincterotomy, and the absence of a malignant stricture during ERCP. During the course of this study, another randomized trial on the value of endoscopic sphincterotomy prior to fully covered self-expandable metal stent placement for the prevention of pancreatitis was conducted [