Abstract:Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of integrated endoscopic management of pancreatic fistula. Methods Clinical data of 45 patients who were diagnosed as having pancreatic fistula and underwent endoscopic treatment from August 2006 to December 2019 at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The endoscopic approaches, number of interventions, technical success rate, bridging success rate, pancreatic fistula healing rate, healing time, and postoperative complications were summarized. Results Among the 45 patients, 33 (73.3%) patients received retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) alone, of which 7 (21.2%) had complete pancreatic duct dissections. The treatment methods included nasopancreatic drainage in 24 patients, pancreatic duct stenting in 22, pancreatic ductal stricture balloon or probe dilatation in 12, endoscopic sphincterotomy in 8, and pancreatic duct stone removal in 3. Twelve (26.7%) patients received endoscopic combination treatment, of which 5 (41.7%) had complete pancreatic duct dissections, and the treatment methods included ERCP drainage combined with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided drainage in 9 patients, EUS-guided drainage combined with ERCP rendezvous technique in 1, and ERCP drainage combined with percutaneous drainage in 2. The median number of endoscopic interventions was 3.0 (2.0, 5.0), and 41 (91.1%) patients had successful endoscopic treatment, 28 (62.2%) patients had successful bridging. With the median follow-up time of 59.7 (43.7, 111.4) months, 33 (73.3%) patients achieved healed pancreatic fistulas, 6 (13.3%) had non-healed pancreatic fistulas, and 6 (13.3%) lost follow-up. There were 13 (28.9%) patients with short-term (within 1 week) postoperative complications, including acute pancreatitis in 5 patients, stent or drain displacement or blockage in 5, cyst infection in 4, cyst enlargement in 2, and hemorrhage in 1 (some cases had 2 or more complications), all of which were improved by conservative or endoscopic treatment. There were no primary morbidities or surgery-related deaths. Conclusion ERCP is the basis for endoscopic treatment of pancreatic fistula. It is safe and reliable for the management of pancreatic fistula in various types. Disconnected ductal syndrome often needs the combined application of ERCP and/or EUS-guided drainage and other techniques.