ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of needle-knife fistulotomy (NKF)for difficult cannulation during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Methods Data of patients, who received NKF on the back of major papilla when bile duct could not be accessed by conventional cannulation and/or other pre-cut methods during ERCP, were retrospectively reviewed. The success rate of deep cannulation and its complications were observed and analyzed. Results NKF was performed in 108patients due to difficult cannulation, which succeeded in 97 (91.2%) in access to the bile duct and failed in 11 patients with malignant biliary strictures. The failure rate in patients with distal malignant obstruction was higher (25. 8%, 8/31) than those with proximal lesions (5.3%, 3/57) (P = 0. 014, χ2 = 5. 983).Post-ERCP pancreatitis occurred in 5 cases (4. 6%), with the incidence significantly higher in NKF-failure group (18. 2%, 2/11) than that in NKF-suocess group (3.1% ,3/97) (P = 0. 006, χ2 = 7.418). Intestinal perforation occurred in 1 patient and cholangitis developed in 4 others, which all recovered after conservative managements. Conclusion NKF for difficult cannulations in ERCP is safe and effective, especially in hands of experienced operators, but cannulation success rate is relatively low in distal malignant biliary obstruction.