Pancreatic duct stones are secondary to chronic pancreatitis while conventional medical treatment is always not effective. Due to the advantages of less trauma, simple operation, and fewer complications, since endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) combined with extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) was first used in the treatment of pancreatic duct stones in 1987, the treatment method has been continuously improved for more than 30 years, and has experienced the development process from being questioned to becoming the first-line treatment for pancreatic duct stones in multinational guidelines nowadays. However, with the rapid development of science and technology today, the method of ERCP combined with extracorporeal lithotripsy is also facing the challenges of many other treatment methods.
Objective To explore the value of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatograph (ERCP) and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) in the treatment of pancreatic duct stones. Methods A retrospective collection of 28 patients with chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic duct stones admitted to the Department of Gastroenterology from January 2010 to August 2021 was performed. According to the treatment of patients, they were divided into ERCP direct stone extraction group and ESWL combined ERCP stone extraction group. We compared the treatment effects of the two groups of patients, including the success rate of stone extraction, postoperative complications of ERCP, postoperative symptom improvement, and so on. Results Among the 28 patients, 19 cases underwent ERCP direct stone extraction, and 9 cases underwent ESWL combined with ERCP stone extraction. In the ERCP direct stone extraction group, 7 cases (36.84%) were completely extracted, 1 case was partially extracted (5.26%), and 11 cases (57.89%) failed to extract and only placed stents and drained; 5 cases (26.32%) had elevated white blood cells at 6 hours postoperatively, C-reactive protein increased in 4 cases (21.05%), 3 cases (15.79%) were diagnosed as ERCP-related pancreatitis, and 2 cases (10.53%) were diagnosed as hyperamylaseemia. The abdominal pain symptoms were completely relieved in 14 cases (73.68%) during a follow-up period of 3 to 6 months. The body mass of 17 cases (89.47%) increased in the 6 months after stone extraction. ESWL combined with ERCP had complete stone extraction in 5 cases (55.56%), partial stone extraction in 3 cases (33.33%), and failure in stone extraction and only stent drainage in 1 case (11.11%). One case (11.11%) had elevated white blood cells at 6 hours postoperatively, and 1 case (11.11%) had elevated C-reactive protein . One case (11.11%) was diagnosed with ERCP-related pancreatitis. One case (11.11%) got abdominal pain and transient hematuria during ESWL, which resolved spontaneously 3 days later. After 3 to 6 months of follow-up, 9 patients (100%) had complete relief of abdominal pain symptoms, and the body mass of 9 patients (100%) increased in the 6 months after stone extraction. The stone clearance rate of the ESWL combined with ERCP stone extraction group was higher than that of the ERCP direct stone extraction group (P=0.033), but there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of ERCP-related complications, relief of abdominal pain, and weight gain (P>0.05). Conclusion ESWL combined with ERCP in the treatment of chronic pancreatitis complicated with pancreatic duct stone extraction is more effective than ERCP direct stone extraction.