title: The diagnostic yield of ERCP in the investigation of unexplained abdominal pain.
abstract: One hundred and forty patients with undiagnosed severe chronic abdominal pain who had not undergone previous biliary surgery were investigated by ERCP. A diagnosis was achieved in 34 patients (24 per cent) including 8 with previously undiagnosed peptic ulceration and 5 with gallstones. Twenty-five patients (18 per cent) had an abnormal pancreatogram, including 1 with pancreatic cancer. The incidence of pancreatogram abnormalities suggestive or diagnostic of pancreatitis was particularly high (60 per cent) in patients with a history of alcohol abuse. ERCP has a valuable role in the investigation of patients with 'obscure' abdominal pain.
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications; D002760:Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004066:Digestive System Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal