Background
This study aimed to assess the incidence of periampullary diverticulum (PAD) among endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) patients in Southwestern Turkey and investigate the association between the new PAD classification, post-ERCP hyperamylasemia, and post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP).
Materials and Methods
We retrospectively reviewed 1,317 ERCP procedures performed between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023, at Antalya Training and Research Hospital. The PAD type was determined according to the He-xian Shi classification. Hyperamylasemia was defined as an increase of three times the normal level of amylase at 4-6 h, and PEP was defined as hyperamylasemia along with abdominal pain lasting more than 24 hours.
Results
A total of 594 naive patients who underwent ERCP were analyzed. PAD was present in 137 patients (23.1%), and the success rate of choledochal cannulation in the first ERCP procedure was 94.3%. There was no difference in the choledochal cannulation rate between patients with and without PAD (95.6%-93.9%, p=0.53). Asymptomatic hyperamylasemia was observed in 19.0% of the patients. Post-ERCP hyperamylasemia rates were similar between patients with and without PAD (16.1%-19.9%, p=0.38). PEP was observed in 8.8% of the patients. PAD was not a risk factor for post-ERCP pancreatitis (7.3% vs. 9.2%, p=0.60). When we checked the results according to the type of PAD, the prevalence of post-ERCP hyperamylasemia was significantly lower in patients with type 2b PAD than in those with PAD of other types and in patients without PAD.
Conclusion
PAD is a common finding in ERCP patients, with an incidence of 23.1% in our cohort. The rate of choledochal cannulation, post ERCP hyperamylasemia and PEP did not differ between the patients with and without PAD. However, the type of PAD is important; post-ERCP hyperamylasemia is significantly lower in patients with type 2b PAD than in all other PAD types and patients without PAD. Different subtypes of PAD may have different impacts on ERCP outcomes. Further investigations with new PAD classification systems developed for ERCP purposes are needed.