Treatment of acute pancreatitis with pancreatic duct decompression via ERCP: A case report series

Acute pancreatitis is a common disorder in the gastrointestinal system, which is characterized by an increasing incidence and a high mortality. Currently, symptomatic treatment becomes the predominant option for the treatment of acute pancreatitis. To date, there is little knowledge on the treatment of acute pancreatitis through alleviation of pancreatic ductal hypertension and removal of pancreatic ductal obstruction. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), an effective treatment for acute biliary pancreatitis, may alleviate the obstruction and edema in the common channel of the bile duct and pancreatic duct, to achieve the indirect treatment of acute pancreatitis, and may achieve the removal of intrapancreatic ductal obstruction and reduction in the intrapancreatic ductal pressure. Hereby, we report 3 cases with acute pancreatitis that were successfully treated by the pancreatic duct decompression via ERCP in one single center from China. Our data demonstrate that pancreatic duct decompression via ERCP is effective for the treatment of acute pancreatitis, which may shorten the course of acute pancreatitis through alleviating pain, shortening fasting duration and controlling the inflammatory reactions. It is recommended to use further prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pancreatic duct decompression via ERCP for acute pancreatitis.