The clinical and expert consensus definitions of post-ERCP pancreatitis do not correlate well.
In 1991, experts developed a consensus definition of post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) and its levels of severity. Specifically, PEP would be diagnosed if a patient presented with a rise in serum amylase level to ≥3-fold above the upper limit of normal ≥24 hours after ERCP, accompanied by abdominal pain typical of pancreatitis and the need for >1 additional night of hospitalization; PEP severity (mild, moderate, or severe) was defined according to the duration of hospitalization and the need for interventions. In clinical practice, PEP (acute pancreatitis) would be diagnosed if a patient presented with two of the three following features: a rise in serum amylase or lipase levels to ≥3-fold above the upper limit of normal ≥24 hours after ERCP, ab…