Published online Jul 28, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i28.4531
Revised: April 24, 2013
Accepted: May 9, 2013
Published online: July 28, 2013
Processing time: 199 Days and 15.5 Hours
AIM: To perform wire-guided cannulation using a newly designed J-shaped tip guidewire, and to verify feasibility and safety for use.
METHODS: The study was conducted on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) patients with naïve papilla undergoing diagnosis and treatment of biliary diseases between September 2011 and July 2012. We performed ERCP in a succession of 50 cases with a J-shaped tip guidewire. The first insertion attempt began with a trainee who had 5 min to complete cannulation, followed if necessary by the trainer for another 5 min. We assessed the primary success rate of selective biliary cannulation within 10 min and adverse events such as post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP), bleeding or perforation.
RESULTS: The primary success rate was 90% (45/50) within 10 min, the initial success rate within 5 min by trainee staff was 76% (38/50). The rate of PEP was 6% (3/50), but all 3 cases were mild pancreatitis. All patients were managed successfully with conservative treatment. There was no bleeding or perforation.
CONCLUSION: A newly designed J-shaped tip guide-wire has the possibility to facilitate selective biliary cannulation for ERCP and appears to be safe.
Core tip: We conducted a feasibility study that performed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with a newly designed J-shaped tip guidewire. This new guidewire has a strongly-flexed atraumatic tip with hydrophilic coating; therefore, it may contribute to the improvement of the passage through the intra-duodenal biliary segment and to the decrease of adverse events such as post-ERCP pancreatitis. We assessed the primary success rate of selective biliary cannulation within 10 min and rate of post-ERCP pancreatitis. The primary success rate was 90% (45/50); the rate of post-ERCP pancreatitis was 6% (3/50), but all 3 cases were mild. The J-shaped tip guidewire may facilitate selective biliary cannulation in ERCP.