An investigation into the sensitivity of endoscopic ultrasound in the diagnosis of malignant bile duct in patients with idiopathic acute pancreatitis

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory process of the pancreas characterized by abdominal pain and increased pancreatic enzymes. This disease is diagnosed clinically. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), which is a technique with high sensitivity and specificity, is used to diagnose biliary disease. This study aimed to determine the sensitivity of EUS in the diagnosis of malignant bile duct in patients with idiopathic AP. METHODS: This descriptive study was performed on 146 patients with pancreatitis hospitalized in the gastrointestinal tract section of the Imam Khomeini Hospital of Ahwaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. The collected data were analyzed by the SPSS 22.0 and the significance level of the test was <0.05. RESULTS: According to the results, 79 (54%) out of the 146 patients were female and 67 (46%) were male. The mean and standard deviation of the patients’ age were 52.5 and 19.6 years, respectively. The findings showed that the sensitivity and specificity of the EUS were 33% and 99%, respectively. Compared to the endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), the sensitivity and specificity of the abdominal ultrasound were 62% and 62.5%, respectively. Compared to the ERCP, the sensitivity and specificity of EUS were 92% and 50%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study showed that the sensitivity and specificity of EUS were higher than those of abdominal ultrasound. Moreover, EUS was the preferred method to detect common bile duct stones (CBDS).