Expanding endoscopic interventions for pancreatic pseudocyst and walled-off necrosis.

Background: Recently, several endoscopists have described the usefulness of the endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)-guided, single transluminal gateway technique (SGT) using transmural placement of single or multiple plastic stents or metal stents for a pancreatic pseudocyst (PC) and walled-off necrosis (WON). Moreover, the uses of the multiple transluminal gateway technique (MTGT) and single transluminal gateway transcystic multiple drainages (SGTMD) for complicated pancreatic walled-off necrosis have recently been reported. The aim of this study is to evaluate retrospectively the feasibility and efficacy of endotherapy for the treatment of complicated PC and WON cases.

Methods: Eighty-nine patients with a PC (n = 14) and WON (n = 75) were treated under EUS guidance.

Results: In a total of 89 cases using SGT in combination with MTGT or SGTMD, the present study showed a technical success rate of 100 %, a final clinical success rate of 97.8 %, an adverse event during procedure rate of 0 %, an early adverse event rate of 12.4 %, and a mortality rate of 2.2 %.

Conclusions: Even complicated WON cases can be treated using combination endotherapies, although a surgical approach as well as a percutaneous approach should be considered in the cases refractory to endoscopic therapies.