Grading ERCPs by degree of difficulty: a new concept to produce more meaningful outcome data

Background: Simple endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) ou tcome measures such as success and complication rates may not allow direct comparisons among endoscopists or centers because procedure degree of diffi culty can vary tremendously from case to case, We propose a new grading sca le designed to objectively quantify ERCP degree of difficulty. Methods: A 1 to 5 scale was devised to grade ERCPs according to their level of technical difficulty, A retrospective pilot study was performed to asse ss ERCP outcomes at our institution according to difficulty grade. The scal e was then prospectively applied to all ERCPs during a 1-year period, Results: In the pilot study, 209 of 231 (90%) ERCPs were technically succes sful, and 8 (3%) were followed by complications. Grade 1 to 4 procedures we re more likely to succeed (94% vs, 74%, p < 0.05) and less likely to have a ssociated complications (2% vs. 10%, p < 0.05) than grade 5/5B ERCPs, Of 18 7 ERCPs assessed prospectively, 166 (89%) were successful and 10 (5%) were followed by complications; 132 of 138 (96%) grade 1 to 4 procedures succeed ed compared with 30 of 46 grade 5 to 5B ERCPs (65%, p < 0.001), but complic ations were not significantly more frequent in grade 5 to 5B ERCPs (8.7% vs . 4.3%, p = not significant). Conclusions: Technical success was dependent on ERCP degree of difficulty, but complications were not. Outcome data that incorporate degree of difficu lty information may be more meaningful, allowing endoscopist-to-endoscopist and center-to-center comparisons.