title: Definitive management of gallstone pancreatitis in England.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to investigate whether definitive treatment of gallstone pancreatitis (GSP) by either cholecystectomy or endoscopic sphincterotomy in England conforms with British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) guidelines and to validate these guidelines.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hospital Episode Statistics data were used to identify patients admitted for the first time with GSP between April 2007 and April 2008. These patients were followed until April 2009 to identify any who underwent definitive treatment or were readmitted with a further bout of GSP as  an emergency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 5,454 patients were admitted with GSP between April 2007 and April 2008, of whom 1,866 (34.2%) underwent definitive treatment according to BSG guidelines, 1,471 on the index admission. Patients who underwent a cholecystectomy during the index admission  were less likely to be readmitted with a further bout of GSP (1.7%) than those who underwent endoscopic sphincterotomy alone (5.3%) or those who did not undergo any form of definitive treatment (13.2%). Of those patients who did not undergo definitive treatment before discharge, 2,239 received  definitive treatment following discharge but only 395 (17.6%) of these had this within 2 weeks. Of the 505 patients who did not undergo definitive treatment on the index admission and who were readmitted as an emergency with GSP, 154 (30.5%) were admitted during the 2 weeks immediately following  discharge.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Following an attack of mild GSP, cholecystectomy should be offered to all patients prior to discharge. If patients are not fit for surgery, an endoscopic sphincterotomy should be performed as definitive treatment.
authors.affiliation: Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: El-Dhuwaib
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deakin
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: David
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Durkin
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Corless
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Slavin
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D002763:Cholecystectomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis; D004630:Emergencies; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D042882:Gallstones / Q000601:surgery*; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000601:surgery*; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D012008:Recurrence; D016717:Sphincterotomy, Endoscopic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*