Outcome of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography at a tertiary Centre in Western Nepal

Abstract

BACKGROUND Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is an endoscopic procedure for management of various pancreaticobiliary diseases. Successful outcome with minimal complications require an expertise and adequate resources in relevant indications. This study aims to explore the indications, technical success, outcome and complications of ERCP in our region.

METHODS This is a descriptive, hospital-based, prospective study conducted in the Department of Medicine, Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences, Pokhara, Nepal from March 2024 to February 2026 after an ethical clearance. Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography was performed under anesthesia with standard accessories recommended by trained gastroenterologists after evaluation of indications. Data was entered in Microsoft Excel 2024 and descriptive analysis was done on SPSS version 25.

RESULTS Successful ERCP was performed in 94% of indicated patients with choledocholithiasis as the commonest indication. Emergency procedure was performed among 68 cases (22%). Mean age of patients was 60.19+16.89 years with almost equal gender distribution. Common bile duct clearance was achieved in 58% cases at first attempt. Overall complications were observed among 8% of the procedure and pancreatitis was the commonest (4%) followed by bleeding (1.2%).

CONCLUSIONS ERCP can be safely performed as minimally invasive procedure with comparable outcome and complications with expertise and adequate resources.