Journal of gastrointestinal surgery : official journal of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract
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J. Gastrointest. Surg. · Aug 2019
Endoscopic Ultrasound for Routine Assessment in Idiopathic Acute Pancreatitis.
Acute pancreatitis (AP) is one of the most common general acute surgical presentations. Current recommendations are that idiopathic acute pancreatitis (IAP) should account for no more than 20% of AP cases. Some studies suggest gallbladder microlithiasis is the aetiology in up to 75% of IAP patients. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has been reported to be effective in the detection of microlithiasis and choledocholithiasis as well as pancreatic parenchymal, ductal and ampullary disorders. The aims of this study were to evaluate the usefulness of EUS in establishing aetiology in IAP patients and to assess if there is a role for EUS in the selection criteria for laparoscopic cholecystectomy to treat a potential biliary cause in IAP patients. ⋯ There is a likely role for the routine use of EUS in the assessment of patients with IAP. The routine use of EUS may decrease the proportion of cases with a diagnosis of IAP. EUS may provide better selection criteria for laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with an initial diagnosis of IAP.