Clinical outcome of post-ERCP pancreatitis: relationship to history of previous pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the relationship between clinical outcome of post-ERCP pancreatitis and history of previous pancreatitis.

METHODS

Fifty patients (3.5%) developed procedure-related pancreatitis during the study period. Twenty-one patients had a history of previous pancreatitis (group I), and 29 patients had no history of previous pancreatitis (group II). There were no significant differences between the two groups with regard to age, gender, pancreatic duct injection, acinarization, or type of ERCP procedure. Grading of clinical severity was based on length of hospitalization, presence of pancreatic complications, and need for intervention: mild 28%, moderate 54%, and severe 18%. Four patients (8.0%) had pancreatic complications, but only one patient required surgery. There were no associated mortalities.

RESULTS

Patients in group I had a shorter median hospital stay and were less likely to develop severe pancreatitis than patients in group II: 4.0 versus 7.0 days, p = 0.001 and 4.8 versus 27.6%, p = 0.038, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Intralobular and/or periductal fibrosis secondary to prior pancreatitis may limit the degree of ERCP-induced pancreatic acinar damage.