[A meta-analysis of clinical efficiency of two methodologies of cholangiopancreatography]

To compare the efficiency of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in patients with suspected biliary tract or pancreatic diseases.

Find those prospective comparison trials about the efficiency of ERCP and MRCP in patients with suspected biliary tract or pancreatic diseases from many kinds of database, such as MEDLINE, EMBASE and so on. According to inclusion criteria, two operant choose suitable papers for this study. Collect corresponding original data and make a meta-analysis to compare the sensitivity and specificity of ERCP and MRCP in choledocholithiasis, strictures and malignant tumor.

Finally we get 6 articles from 302 ones. To diagnose choledocholithiasis, strictures and malignant tumor, the difference of sensitive between ERCP's and MRCP's is not significant. When it comes to the specificity of ERCP and MRCP in those diseases, ERCP is better than MRCP only in strictures, OR is 6.17 (95% CI 1.35-20.24), P = 0.02. However, we find ERCP is better than MRCP not only in total sensitivity but specificity of biliary tract or pancreatic diseases, OR is 1.72 (95% CI 1.04-2.85) and 4.05 (95% CI 1.32-12.42) respectively, P = 0.04, 0.01.

ERCP is better than MRCP, to biliary tract or pancreatic diseases, in not only sensitivity but specificity. Doctors should think much about patients' situation, tolerance and cost-effectiveness, when they make a decision which examination should patients take.