5.2　Indications for Diagnostic ERCP

ERCP is usually not used as the first diagnostic tool due to its high cost for the diagnosis and high risk of potential complications after the performance.(https://www.daowen.com)

Indications for diagnostic ERCP include indefinite diagnosis or differential diagnosis made by other tests，evaluating precisely the ductal changes（location，size and aspect of strictures，pancreatic duct stones，ductal communication of pseudocysts，ductal leaks，etc.）or complications（gastrointestinal or biliary obstruction）caused by CP（Devereaux and Binmoeller 2000），and determining the classification（Sarner and Cotton 1984；Axon et al.1984；Cremer et al.1989）of the disease.ERCP can also offer therapy other than diagnosis and identify the underlying cause of CP（anatomic abnormalities such as pancreas divisum，preampullary duodenal wall cysts and posttraumatic pancreatic duct scars）（Brugge 2013；Buxbaum 2012）.