Association of procedure length on outcomes and adverse events of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.

Objective: The aims of this study were to determine the effects of length of procedure on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) outcomes and adverse events.

Methods: All ERCP procedures, performed by experienced advanced endoscopists, in patients without prior papillary intervention from 2006 to 2008 were reviewed. Procedures were arbitrarily divided into two groups: shorter procedures (SP), with a duration shorter than the overall mean procedure length, and longer procedures (LP), with a duration longer than overall mean procedure length.