Method, apparatus and kit for bile or pancreatic duct endoscopy

An apparatus for performing bile or pancreatic duct endoscopy upon a patient having a mouth and an ampulla of Vater, the apparatus comprising:

• a wire adapted to extend from the patient's mouth to the patient's ampulla of Vater;
• an endoscope comprising a generally tubular body, the tubular body including a lumen and an outer diameter, the outer diameter being less than about 7 mm, the lumen dimensioned to receive the wire such that the endoscope is positioned over and is movable along the wire;
• and
• an overtube having a lumen dimensioned to receive the endoscope, the overtube being positioned over the endoscope and movable along the wire.

A method for performing endoscopy of a bile or pancreatic duct of a patient, the method comprising:

• navigating a wire perorally or pernasally to and within at least one of the ampulla of Vater, the common bile duct, the pancreatic duct, the cystic duct, and the hepatic ducts of the patient;
• providing an endoscope, the endoscope comprising a generally tubular body, the tubular body including a lumen and an outer diameter, the outer diameter being less than about 7 mm;
• installing the endoscope over the wire while the wire is in place within at least one of the ampulla of Vater, the common bile duct, the pancreatic duct, the cystic duct, and the hepatic ducts of the patient such that the wire is received within the lumen of the tubular body of the endoscope;
• navigating the endoscope along the wire to a position within at least one of the ampulla of Vater, the common bile duct, the pancreatic duct, the cystic duct, and the hepatic ducts;
• and
• viewing the at least one of the ampulla of Vater, the common bile duct, the pancreatic duct, the cystic duct, and the hepatic ducts with the endoscope.