Abstract
Post-ERCP pancreatitis accounts for more than 50% of ERCP-related complications and results in substantial morbidity and increased health-care expenditures. Major research efforts and some public health initiatives have been directed toward the prevention of this complication and have helped but not eliminated the problem. An evidence-based approach to preventing post-ERCP pancreatitis includes (i) thoughtful patient selection, reserving the procedure for patients with a high likelihood of therapeutic intervention; (ii) risk stratification using validated patient and procedure-related predictors to guide clinical decision-making and the implementation of prophylactic interventions; (iii) sound procedural technique, including wire-guided cannulation, avoidance of repeated/aggressive pancreatography, and early use of alternative cannulation methods in difficult cases; (iv) prophylactic pancreatic stent placement in high-risk cases; and (v) rectal NSAIDs and aggressive lactated ringer’s solution administration in high-risk cases and perhaps in all patients undergoing ERCP. Ongoing and future research initiatives as well as more widespread implementation of evidence-based prevention strategies will further decrease the incidence of this potentially devastating complication.
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Leerhøy, B., Elmunzer, B.J. (2022). Prevention of Post-Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography Pancreatitis. In: Testoni, P.A., Inoue, H., Wallace, M.B. (eds) Gastrointestinal and Pancreatico-Biliary Diseases: Advanced Diagnostic and Therapeutic Endoscopy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56993-8_69
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