BackgroundThe management of type II endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-related perforation is still controversial. This study aimed to compare the effects of covered self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS), surgery, and conservative treatment for type II perforation.MethodsFrom January 2010 to December 2021, this study collected relevant data from five large hospitals in China. The data of ERCP difficulty grading and ERCP-related perforation in 26,673 cases that underwent ERCP during 11 years were retrospectively analyzed. Of 55 patients with type II perforation, 41 patients were implanted with a biliary covered SEMS (stent group), 10 underwent surgery (surgery group), and 4 received conservative treatment (conservative group).ResultsAmong the 55 patients with type II perforation, ERCP and computed tomography diagnostic rates of type II perforation were 10.91% (6/55) and 89.09% (49/55), respectively. The incidence of type II perforation in grade 5 ERCP (0.43%, 11/2,537) was significantly higher than that in grade 1–3 ERCP (0.16%, 32/19,471). (P = 0.004) and grade 1–4 ERCP (0.26%,12/4,665) (P = 0.008), respectively. Among the 10 patients in the surgical group, primary repair was performed in only 7 patients in whom location of the perforation could be identified. The incidence of retroperitoneal abscess was significantly lower in the stent group than in the surgery group (P = 0.018) and the conservative group (P = 0.001), respectively. The average hospital stay in the stent group was shorter than that in the surgery group (P = 0.000) and conservative group (P = 0.001), respectively.ConclusionsThe incidence of type II perforation was dependent on the degree of difficulty of ERCP. The treatment of type II perforation with a covered SEMS can significantly reduce the incidence of retroperitoneal abscess and shorten the hospital stay, with better results than surgical and conservative treatments.