Clinical benefit of early precut sphincintroterotomy for difficult biliary cannulation during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography

Objectives A precut procedure is sometimes required for difficult biliary cannulation during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). However, it is unclear whether the biliary access rate has improved for early precut procedures compared to conventional techniques. This study aimed to identify the benefit of early precut sphincterotomy in cases showing difficult biliary access. Methods Between April 2017 and August 2021, consecutive patients who underwent precutting for difficult biliary cannulation were retrospectively enrolled. The outcomes of early (≤ 10 min from start of cannulation) and delayed (> 10 min) precut groups were evaluated. All adverse events were defined according to Cotton criteria. Results A total of 70 patients were enrolled in this study. The biliary cannulation rate for a first ERCP was significantly higher in the early compared to delayed precut group (95% vs. 73.3%; P = 0.015). A difference in overall cannulation rate between the two groups was not observed (97.5% vs. 83.3%; P > 0.05). Significantly higher rates of prophylactic pancreatic stents were described in the delayed compared to early precut group (36.7% vs. 12.5%; P = 0.009). Significant differences in the frequency of pancreatitis, bleeding, penetration, and perforation were not noted between the two groups. Overall, the success rate was statistically significant between the experienced and less experienced endoscopists (87.2% vs. 63.9%; P = 0.017). Conclusions Early precutting within 10 min from the start of cannulation in ERCP is safe and effective in cases with a difficult biliary cannulation, and can improve the biliary cannulation rate.