Early adverse events and long-term outcomes of endoscopic sphincterotomy in a pediatric population: a single-center experience.

Abstract

Background and aims: The use of endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) in the management of pancreaticobiliary disease in children is increasing. However, studies of long-term outcomes are limited in pediatric patients. Therefore, this study evaluated the early adverse events and long-term outcomes following EST in pediatric patients. Patients and methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 198 pediatric patients who underwent ESTs at Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital between 1994 and 2013. The median age was 8.7 years (range 18 months to17 years). We evaluated the indications, success rates, early adverse events, and long-term outcomes. Results: Long-term information was available in 198 patients with a median follow-up duration of 42 months (range, 1.8 - 232.1 months). Early adverse events (< 30 days) following 294 ESTs among 198 patients included pancreatitis in 17 (5.7 %), hemorrhages in 6 (2.0 %), sepsis in 3 (1.0 %), and perforations in 2 (0.7 %). Long-term complications ( > 30 days) developed in 12 patients (6.1 %), including cholangitis with or without bile duct stone (n = 7), and minor papilla restenosis (n = 5). The cumulative incidence rates of long-term complications were 3.1 %, 6.1 %, 9.3 %, and 9.3 %, at 1, 5, 10, and 15 years. There were no procedure-related pancreaticobiliary malignancies or deaths. All adverse events and long-term complications improved with appropriate management. Conclusions: In pediatric patients with pancreaticobiliary disease, EST has a high level of technical success. In addition, pediatric EST showed low rates of early adverse events and long-term complications, which could be managed safely. Our results suggest that EST is a safe method for treating pancreaticobiliary disease, even in the pediatric population.