The value of elastase evaluation in comparison with amylase and lipase in prediction and diagnosis of post-ERCP pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is a common serious complication of endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) with reported incidence rates from 2 to 40%. Prediction of post-ERCP pancreatitis and its severity is useful for planning treatment strategy (surveillance, intensive care therapy, use of novel drugs like platelet activating factor antagonist, parenteral nutrition). The commonly used criteria of severity (Ranson's, APACHE, Glascow, CT, CRP) need several days to be evaluated. Investigators have tried to discover an inexpensive, easy to perform and credible test which could predict quickly the severity of pancreatitis. We assessed the usefulness of serum pancreatic enzyme measurement during the first hours after ERCP, in detecting and predicting the severity of post-ERCP pancreatitis.