Background: Because of possible complications, it has been common practice to admit most if not all patients undergoing therapeutic ERCP. Therefore, little descriptive data exist on the safety of outpatient therapeutic ERCP.
Methods: We assessed 262 consecutive ERCPs in 209 patients undergoing outpatient therapeutic ERCP over a 5-year period, with particular attention to the development of complications. All outpatient endoscopic sphincterotomies and stent placements performed over a 5-year period were prospectively entered into an ongoing data base that was used for the analysis. In addition, hospital and office records for all patients were retrospectively reviewed, including a 30 to 45 day follow-up in a private office setting.
Results: Suspected or documented choledocholithiasis was the most common indication for ERCP and was present in 132 (50%), followed by malignant obstruction in 77 (29%), type I sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (on the basis of symptoms, liver test abnormalities, and bile duct dilatation) in 36 (14%), chronic pancreatitis in 10 (3.8%), HIV cholangiopathy in 4 (1.5%), and other conditions in 3 (1.1%). Overall, 181 patients (69%) underwent a sphincterotomy. The 30-day post-ERCP complication rate was 5.7% (95% CI: 3.2% to 9.3%), occurring in 15 of 262 cases. Complications necessitating hospitalization developed in 9 of the 262 ERCPs for a rate of 3.4% (95% CI: 1.6% to 6.4%). The mean duration of hospital stay among patients admitted for a complication was 2.7 +/- 1.8 days (range, 1 to 7 days). All patients were discharged without permanent sequelae. No 30-day procedure-related fatalities were reported.
Conclusion: In this selected series of 262 consecutive cases, endoscopic sphincterotomy and stent placement were safely performed in an ambulatory setting. Prior to recommending a generalized change in existing practice, however, this finding requires validation with larger series of cases, including the performance of other outpatient therapeutic ERCP techniques.