Introduction:

With the update of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) 2019 guidelines, the criteria for patients with suspected choledocholithiasis became stricter when choosing who should be taken directly to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). This study aimed to compare patients taken directly to ERCP according to the 2010 vs. 2019 ASGE guidelines versus the 2019 guide.

Materials and methods:

A retrospective study of ERCPs performed between January 2016 and December 2018 evaluated the diagnostic performance of paraclinical and ultrasound variables individually and collectively to compare their sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and high probability precision according to 2019 and 2010 guidelines regarding the presence of stones in ERCPs.

Results:

386 patients underwent ERCP due to suspicion of choledocholithiasis; 84.5% were therapeutic procedures. The high probability group had a higher rate of therapeutic ERCP: 89.3% according to the 2019 guidelines compared to those of 2010 with 86.3% (p < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of high probability according to the 2010 guidelines were 86.8% and 25.0%, respectively, with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 86.3% and an accuracy of 77.2%. According to the 2019 guidelines, high probability showed lower sensitivity (74%) but higher specificity (51.7%), a PPV of 89.3%, and an accuracy of 70.7%.

Conclusions:

The implementation of the ASGE 2019 guidelines on the indications for ERCP should consider the resources of hospitals, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The ASGE 2010 guidelines show good sensitivity and precision to guide the performance of ERCP.

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