Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in elderly patients: Difficult cannulation and adverse events

Table 2 Summary of causes, cannulation techniques, and adverse events of difficult cannulation patients in the older and younger groups

	Overall (n = 209), %	Age ≥ 80 (n = 49),%	Age < 80 (n = 160), %	P value1
Causes of difficulty
Papillary anatomy	31.1 (65)	18.4 (9)	35 (56)	0.029
Distal stricture or impacted stone	32.5 (68)	22.4 (11)	35.6 (57)	0.108
Diverticulum	18.2 (38)	26.5 (13)	15.6 (25)	0.047
Ampullary carcinoma	4.8 (10)	14.3 (7)	1.9 (3)	0.001
Altered anatomy	8.6 (18)	10.2 (5)	8.1 (13)	0.326
Cannulation failure	5.7 (12)	8.3 (4)	5 (8)	0.286
Cannulation techniques
Guidewire assisted	42.1 (88)	40.8 (20)	42.5 (68)	0.868
NKP	37.7 (79)	42.8 (21)	36.2 (58)	0.239
TPS	20.1 (42)	16.7 (8)	21.2 (34)	0.546
Pancreatic stent	26.8 (56)	22.9 (11)	28.1 (45)	0.489
Adverse events
PEP	10 (21)	4.2 (2)	11.8 (19)	0.096
Perforation	1 (2)	2.1 (1)	0.6 (1)	0.407
Bleeding	1.9 (4)	4.2 (2)	1.2 (2)	0.227
Cholangitis	1.9 (4)	2.1 (1)	1.9 (3)	0.651
Cardiopulmonary	1 (2)	- (0)	1.2 (2)	0.593

¹Fisher’s exact test.

IQR: Interquartile range; ERCP: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography; PEP: Post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography; TPS: Transpancreatic sphincterotomy; NKP: Needle knife precut.