Risk factors for acute pancreatitis induced by ERCP

Objective: To assess the risk factors for ERCP inducing pancreatitis. Methods: Three hundred and eighty patients who had been undergone ERCP were entered respectively, univariate analyses were used to identify risk factors for ERCP inducing pancreatitis.Results: Seventeen patients developed acute pancreatitis among 380 patients. There were 280 received therapeutic ERCP, 15 patients developed acute pancreatitis (4.8%) ,100 patients received diagnostic ERCP and 2 patients developed acute pancreatitis (2.0%) .Risk factors for post-ERCP pancreatitis were endoscopic sphincterotomy, precut access papillotomy by needle knife ,multiple cannulation attemps, pancreatic duct manipulation, multiple pancreatic injection, guidewire used to achieve cannulation. ( P 0.05) .Characteristics associated with an increased risk of pancreatitis were sphincter of Oddi dysfunction and recurrent pancreatitis. Conclusions:The frequency of acute pancreatitis in therapeutic ERCP was higher than that in diagnostics. Acute pancreatitis was related to operator' s skills during ERCP. With the improvement of ERCP skills and good controlling indications of ERCP, the frequency of ERCP-induced pancreatitis would decrease.