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The role and timing of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for detecting choledocholithiasis in patients with acute biliary pancreatitis is controversial. A highly sensitive, specific, and low-risk procedure for detecting common duct stones would help select patients who require ERCP for stone removal. Researchers in Hong Kong evaluated whether endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) reliably detected choledocholithiasis in 100 consecutive patients who presented with acute pancreatitis.
Standard transcutaneous ultrasound (US) was performed soon after admission. EUS followed by ERCP was performed within 24 hours of admission by examiners who were blinded to results of the other studies. The gold standard for choledocholithiasis was endo…