Clinical and Endoscopic Consequences of Delay in Stent Exchange Procedures With ERCP During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, elective endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures have been postponed as recommended by international guidelines. In this study, the results of biliary and pancreatic ERCP procedures that had to be postponed during the pandemic process were investigated. Materials and Methods: Forty-seven patients whose stent exchange procedures with ERCP were postponed between March 2020 and June 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic were included in the study. Patients were evaluated in 2 groups as delayed biliary procedures (n: 32) and delayed pancreatic procedures (n: 15). Clinical problems (biliary or pancreatic pain, itching, cholangitis, etc.) and technical problems encountered during the procedure (stent migration, abundant stone sludge in the bile ducts, etc.) were compared with 46 patients who could be treated without delay (39 interventions for the biliary system and seven interventions for the pancreas). Findings: Considering the procedures for the biliary system, there was no difference in age and sex between the groups. Although clinical problems in biliary procedures were more common in the group with delay than in those without delay, this difference was not significant (34% vs. 20%; P: 0.14). The technical problems encountered during the procedures in the group with delay were significantly higher than those without delay (21% vs. 2.5%; P: 0.019), with stent migration being the most common problem (n: 5). Age and sex did not differ in the patients who had pancreatic interventions with and without delay. The clinical problems that developed in the patients did not differ between the groups with and without delay (26% vs. 28%; P: 0.8). Although technical problems were encountered in 1 out of 15 patients in the group with delay, no technical problem was experienced in the group without delay (P: 0.68). Conclusion: Postponing elective ERCP procedures for the biliary system not for the pancreatic system during the COVID-19 pandemic brings technical problems.