[On familiar terms with the bile and pancreatic ducts : Where is the benefit?].
Advanced technical developments of small-caliber disposable endoscopes as well as EUS imaging and EUS-assisted procedures have changed the management of biliary and pancreatic diseases and expanded the spectrum of diagnostics and endoscopic interventions. Cholangioscopy enables the direct visualization of the biliary system. Endoscopic and endosonographic (EUS) procedures nowadays provide versatile and often minimally invasive approaches for assessment of the pancreatic duct system. The digital single-operator cholangioscopy (dSOC) and digital single-operator pancreatoscopy (dSOP) are increasingly becoming an integral component of the treatment of various diseases and disorders of both duct systems. This article familiarizes the reader with the various diseases and disorders of the biliary duct and pancreatic duct system and presents the most important indications, techniques of the diagnostics and therapeutic interventions as well as their clinical value.