The future of invasive pancreaticobiliary endoscopy.

The futures of invasive pancreaticobiliary endoscopy will be contigent not only on what can be technically accomplished through the endoscope, but upon competing or complementing technologies. Thus, widespread application of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) for gallstones has the potential for either dramatically increasing or decreasing the endoscopic workload. Use of miniscopes, biliary stone extraction without sphincterotomy, and endoscopic approaches to benign pancreatic disease are all possible future scenarios.