The role of ERCP in the management of gallstone-associated acute pancreatitis: A prospective study of 64 patients at Riyadh Central Hospital.

In a prospective study, consecutive patients admitted to one of the surgical units at Riyadh Central Hospital with a diagnosis of acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP) underwent, after stabilization, urgent ERCP within 72 hours of admission. A total of 64 patients (35 males, 29 females) were treated over a four-year period (1986-1990). Forty-eight patients were found to have common bile duct stones when endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) and stone extraction was performed, including four patients with concomitant cholangitis. This was followed by a significant decrease in mean values of the biochemical parameters; serum amylase, SGOT, total bilirubin (P < 0.001) and alkaline phosphatase (P < 0.02), with a corresponding clinical improvement. Urgent ERCP+ES was not associated with any serious complications. There was no hospital mortality in this series. Details of the endoscopic findings and treatment are summarized. Based on the present study and others cited, the role of ERCP in the diagnosis and management of ABP are discussed and recommendations suggested.