Application of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in biliary-pancreatic diseases

Abstract

Background: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has been used increasingly for the treatment of choledocholithiasis, gallstone pancreatitis, and benign or malignant bile duct or pancreatic duct stenosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate ERCP for the diagnosis and therapy of biliary-pancreatic diseases.

Methods: A total of 2075 patients who underwent diagnostic and therapeutic ERCP from June 2001 to March 2009 were analyzed retrospectively. Achievement and complication rates were calculated, and the therapeutic effect was observed.

Results: In all the 64 cases who underwent diagnostic ERCP, the procedure was successful, in 2011 cases therapeutic ERCP was performed, and the success rate was 94.6%. In the therapeutic ERCP cases, 1434 (93.0%) were successful among the 1542 cases of choledocholithiasis, and 422 (90.0%) of the 469 cases with benign or malignant bile duct or pancreatic duct stenosis, or acute obstructive suppurative cholangitis with stent placement or endoscopic nasobiliary drainage were successful. Fifty-nine (90.8%) cases of the 65 who underwent a pre-cut for pancreatic sphincterotomy were successful. Complication rate was 5.1% and the most frequent complication was acute pancreatitis (4.4%).

Conclusions: ERCP is one of the major diagnostic and therapeutic methods for biliary-pancreatic disease. Therapeutic ERCP is a minimally invasive, safe and effective treatment method for various biliary-pancreatic diseases.