BACKGROUND: The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the clinical application value of single-operator cannulation technology (SOCT) for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty-nine patients prepared for ERCP were prospectively recruited from February 2014 to January 2017 in the 4th People’s Hospital of Jinan. The included 69 patients were randomly divided into an experiment group (n=36) and a control group (n=33). Patients in the experiment group underwent SOCT procedure of ERCP and patients in the control group received the regular procedure of ERCP. The cannulation time, number of cannulations, number of attempts at cannulation, and ERCP procedure-relevant complications were recorded and compared between the 2 groups.

RESULTS: All of the included 69 patients successfully finished the ERCP procedure, with no peri-operative deaths. The median duration of cannulation for the experiment group was 7.4 (2.3~35.1) min and 7.1 (2.9~26.1) min for the control group, with no significant difference (p>0.05). The distribution of different cannulation periods and cannulation attempts were not significantly different between the 2 groups (p>0.05). The major complications relevant ERCP procedure were pancreatitis and infection. The incidence rate of pancreatitis and infection were 2.8% and 2.8% in the experiment group and 3.0% and 0.0% in control group, and the difference between groups was not significant (p>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Compared with regular ERCP, SOCT achieved the same effects without the help of an experienced assistant, which could make the procedure useful in primary hospitals.

Keywords: Catheterization, Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde, Aged, 80 and over, Prospective Studies