[Endoscopic treatment of acute biliary pancreatitis]

The authors examined the possibilities of the endoscopic treatment of acute gallstone pancreatitis on the basis of the results of retrospective investigation of 19 middle-european endoscopic centers. There were altogether 11,830 EST in these centers; in 261 out of them the indication of EST was acute gallstone pancreatitis. They consider the exact and early diagnosis very important that can be based on the typical clinical and laboratory signs and ultrasonography. The ERCP reassures the final diagnosis and at the same time the therapeutic solution--EST--can also be realized. This took place within the first 48 hours. The results were favourable, in 90.4%, the complaints decreased significantly within 24 hours. The complication rate was 4.9%, and the mortality rate was 1.9%. These results are better than those of the conservative therapy.