Pancreatic Pseudocysts: Advances in Endoscopic Management

Abstract

Endoscopic drainage is the first-line therapy in the management of pancreatic pseudocysts. Before endoscopic drainage, clinicians should exclude the presence of pancreatic cystic neoplasms and avoid drainage of immature peripancreatic fluid collections or pseudoaneurysms. The indication for endoscopic drainage is not dependent on absolute cyst size alone, but on the presence of attributable signs or symptoms. Endoscopic management should be performed as part of a multidisciplinary approach in close cooperation with surgeons and interventional radiologists. Drainage may be performed either via a transpapillary approach or a transmural approach; additionally, endoscopic necrosectomy may be performed for patients with walled-off necrosis.

Keywords: Endoscopic necrosectomy; Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography; Endoscopic ultrasonography; Pancreatic pseudocyst; Pancreatic stents; Pseudocyst drainage.