Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography and Post Endoscopy Cholecystectomies in Pediatric...

Background/Objectives: ERCP is an established method of treating cholelithiasis; however, data on its use in the pediatric population is limited. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of cholelithiasis among Polish children, the number of ERCP procedures performed on them, and the time between endoscopic and surgical procedures when both were necessary. Methods: We performed a retrospective data analysis on Polish children hospitalized due to biliary tract pathologies (ICD-10 K80-K83) in the period of 2010-2022. Results: In the years 2010-2022, 15,581 hospitalizations linked to the diagnosis of K80-K83 were reported. Of these, 40.71% involved patients undergoing a surgical procedure, and 4.28% involved patients undergoing ERCP (10.15% of unique patients underwent ERCP). Females accounted for 65.91% of hospitalizations, and patients in the age group of 14-17 represented 57.31% of hospitalizations. No significant yearly trends were observed in the number of hospitalizations and ERCP procedures performed. The median time between ERCP and surgical procedures was 32 days. Conclusions: Both the number of ERCP procedures performed in Poland and the demography of patients are consistent with data from the literature. Further research is needed to fully understand the treatment of cholelithiasis among Polish children.