Clinical characteristics of patients treated with multiple therapeutic ERCP procedures

ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical characteristics of patients treated with multiple therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures and to evaluate the causes, safety, and efficacy of repeated ERCP. MethodsAnalyses of therapeutic results, complications, and postoperative outcomes were performed on the clinical data of the patients who were admitted to Beijing Army General Hospital and received ERCP at least twice from July 2010 to December 2014. ResultsSeventy-seven patients underwent 187 times of ERCP procedures in total, among which 2 times were performed in 60 patients, 3 times in 6 patients, 4 times in 8 patients, 5 times in 2 patients, and 7 times in 1 patient. Postoperative events included hemorrhea after endoscopic sphincterotomy in 2 cases, post-ERCP pancreatitis in 2 cases, duodenal perforation in 1 case, and death within 3 weeks after ERCP in 2 cases due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. ConclusionRecurrent common bile duct stones, inflammatory stenosis of the bile duct, chronic pancreatitis, and prolonged survival of malignant tumor patients are the main reasons for repeated ERCP. The patients aged over 80 years are more likely to undergo multiple ERCP procedures. Repeated ERCP shows good overall safety and efficacy