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A common clinical dilemma in establishing etiology of idiopathic pancreatitis is deciding whether to utilize magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) or endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) when imaging is warranted. (Both are generally felt to provide more detail than computed tomography.) To compare the value of the two imaging modalities in this setting, researchers conducted a meta-analysis of data from over 2300 patients in 34 studies (seven of which had direct comparisons of EUS and MRCP in 249 patients).
In the seven studies, diagnostic yield was higher in the EUS group compared with the MRCP group (64% vs. 34%). Among all studies, the diagnostic yields were 60% for EUS, 24% for MRCP group, and 43% for MRCP with accompanying sec…