Endoscopic treatment for pancreatic diseases: Needle-knife-guided cannulation via the minor papilla

Table 2 Patient data

Basic clinical data	n
Total number of patients	74
Patients that received therapeutic ERCP	70
Patients that received diagnostic ERCP	4
Total cannulation procedures via minor papilla	104
Only using standard method1	79 (56 cases)
Using needle-knife after failure of standard method Using needle-knife at start and standard methods later2	14 (14 cases) 11 (4 cases)3
Age (yr)	40.5 ± 21.8
Children and adolescents (age < 18 yr) (female)	16 (11)
Adults (female)	58 (22)
Clinical indications for cannulation procedures
Pancreatitis	33
Chronic recurrent pancreatic-type pain without enzyme elevation	37
Biliary disease	2
Definite or suspected pancreatic mass	2
Diagnoses
Chronic pancreatitis	13
Pancreas divisum	17
Chronic pancreatitis and pancreas divisum	40
Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms	4
Follow-up
Patients who received therapeutic ERCP	70
Patients who received therapeutic ERCP and were followed up	67 (95.7%)
Follow-up period (months)	29.0 ± 22.2
Follow-up results4
Improved	49
Cured	3
Same	7
Worse or much worse	5

¹Using a tapered tip catheter with or without a guidewire;

²Using needle-knife after failure of the standard method in the first and/or second cannulation and only using standard methods in later cannulations;

³Five cannulations using the needle-knife after failure of the standard methods in the first and second cannulations in 4 patients and 6 cannulations using only standard methods in the 4 later cannulations for these cases;

⁴Three patients died prior to follow-up. ERCP: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.