Efficacy and safety of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for the treatment of acute biliary pancreatitis with or without cholangitis

Objective: To evaluate the result of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for treatment of acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP) with or without cholangitis. Subject and method: A retrospective cohort study, 30 patients of ABP at Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 108 Military Central Hospital, from January 2019 to November 2021. Result: We divided the patients into 2 groups: 19 patients ABP with cholangitis, 11 patients without cholangitis. Mean age: 60.7 ± 17.9 (26 - 92), male/female (1.5). The technical success rates were 94.7% and 100%, the clinical success rates were 100% and 90.9% of the two groups with and without cholangitis, respectively. The concomitant cholangitis was not associated with the timing of ERCP (p=0.192), technical success rate (p=0.439), and clinical success rate (p=0.367). And the total length of hospital stay was not different between the two groups (7.7 ± 3 vs. 7.7 ± 4.1 days, p=0.974). No significant differences were found in the duration of hospital after ERCP or procedural-related complications, in patients with acute biliary pancreatitis, according to the concomitant disease (with vs without cholangitis). Conclusion: These findings support ERCP could be performed effectively and safely in acute biliary pancreatitis with or without cholangitis.