The study of new development of the peroral cholangioscope

In 1977 we began the study of peroral cholangioscopy. We described here our results, the current state of the technique in the diagnosis of the biliary tract disorders and the further problems that remain. Results of using two peroral cholangioscopes which were newly eveloped were described and illustrative cases presented. Recentprogress in the development of cholangioscope has gradually enabled the direct vision of the lumen of the common bile duct and occasional biopsy of biliary tract diseases. However, there still remain some problems such as the difficulty of retaining a good field of vision and the difficulty, in some cases, of biopsy. Further improvement in instrument design is necessary for sloving them. It is expected that cholangioscopy will play an important role not only in the diagnosis but also in the laser treatment of gallstone and carcinoma in the near future.