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Early endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with stone removal benefits patients with severe gallstone pancreatitis, particularly when cholangitis is present. Because ERCP has a 10% complication rate and more than 30% of patients pass their stones within 24 to 72 hours of pancreatitis onset, a noninvasive test to select patients for ERCP would improve the management of gallstone pancreatitis.
Researchers from Korea prospectively evaluated the accuracy and diagnostic yield of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) for detecting choledocholithiasis in 32 consecutive patients with suspected gallstone pancreatitis; 25% of patients had severe pancreatitis based on Ranson’s criteria. Results from MRCP were compared with…