Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a procedure in which an endoscope is guided into the first part of the small bowel for various instruments to be passed into the biliary and pancreatic ducts to remove obstructions, drain infectious collections or diagnose diseases of the bile ducts. ERCP is associated with higher rates of complications than other endoscopic procedures, one of the most severe being post-ERCP pancreatitis which is thought to take place in up to 10% of patients.

Dr. Podboy and Internal Medicine Resident Physician Dr. Jason Erno are interested in factors that may contribute to reduced outcomes of post-ERCP pancreatitis, such as the use of dexmedetomidine as an anesthetic agent. Research Computing’s Data Analytics Center investigated this by performing statistical and machine learning analyses of data from a retrospective cohort study who underwent ERCP at UVA in the last five years. These analyses examined associations between post-ERCP pancreatitis and factors such as dexmedetomidine use, patient demographics, pre-procedural medications, and specific intra-operative stent placements and procedures.

Full image attribution: Davee T, Garcia JA, Baron TH. Precut sphincterotomy for selective biliary duct cannulation during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Annals of Gastroenterology (2012). PMCID: PMC3959408

PI: Alexander Podboy, MD (Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

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